What is a Smart Meter In-Home Display (IHD)?

What are smart meters, you ask? It’s an in-home display (IHD) meter that shows consumers their electricity use in near real-time and can show consumers a forecast of their monthly usage and bill. According to an article on the HVACR News web site citing the Department of Energy’s recent survey of 500 customers, 71% of customers reported they have changed their electricity consumption behavior as a result of the energy use data they can now access on their in-home display units. The smart meter in-home display pilot program began last fall. Results from the pilot program, shows that residents surveyed:

• Adjusted their thermostats, based on information on their display, 51% of the time;
• 83% turned off lights at night when not in the room;
• 93% reported they were satisfied with the display; and
• 97% reported they will continue using it.

In addition to the usage data presented above, which is amazing, the smart meter technology also allows reading remotely, so the need to go house-to-house for energy readings will be minimized greatly! Check out the full survey results here. So, with this astonishing data and the advanced use of technolgy, I ask you, if the smart meter becomes available to you for purchase, how much would you be willing to spend on the in-home display unit?