This news has come in from Dominion Virginia Power…
- Dominion has started enrolling customers for the first of its nine energy-conservation pilot programs: the PowerCost Monitor. Sensors installed on home meters will send wireless signals to in-home displays estimating how much is being spent on electricity at any given time. The 1,000 residential customers in the pilot project will be able to track energy costs by either kilowatts or dollars for different appliances. As the appliances are turned on and off, customers will be able to view energy savings in the device display. (See press release.)
- Dominion has sold the 1 millionth energy-efficient compact fluorescent lightbulb under its CFL promotion initiative. The power company estimates that consumer savings will amount to $270 million over the multi-year life of the bulbs, and CO2 emissions will be reduced by 1.5 million tons – the equivalent of removing 264,710 cars from the road for one year. (See press release.)
Let’s do some back-of-the-envelope math. There are roughly 3 million households in Virginia. Let’s say the average household has 20 light bulbs. The CFL initiative represents 1/60th the potential savings available through switching out light bulbs. This one, simple change could be the equivalent of getting 16 million cars off the road (more cars than there are in the Commonwealth) — while simultaneously saving Virginia families money!
Bacon’s bottom line: Combine the CFL initiative with the PowerCost Monitor and the ability to reduce consumption by managing appliances — and let’s not forget Dominion’s other power-saving initiatives coming up — and we should have no trouble meeting the Virginia Energy Plan goal of reducing electricity consumption 10 percent from what it otherwise would be by 2022. We should set far more ambitious goals for ourselves.