Link:
http://techcrunch.com/2010/08/24/ge-energy-monitoring-solar/
About this link:
General Electric is partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy on a $5 million project to connect homes in the Western U.S. to its energy management system, LED lights, appliances and solar panels. The purpose of the project is to research home energy efficiency and test new tracking systems. GE thinks participants will be able to save 70% on their electricity bills: 30% by monitoring and adjusting their energy usage, and 40% by installing solar panels.
Are they serious? 70%? Time will tell.
Net zero building
100% is possible too. It relates to this post
http://greekers.net/content/most-confounding-challenge-facing-sustainabi...
and this post
I attribute
between 1/3 - 1/2 of our consumption simply due to our culture of consumption (strongly related to education)
Around 1/4-1/3 of ineffective use of energy and lack of building planning (also related to education)
And about 1/5-1/3 due to inefficient use of energy (generally public mislead to buy cheaper products for which the price difference for a more efficient type is repaid for very quickly).
Although there is an overlap between the three broad categories I have listed - the savings potential through thoughtful resource management is enormous. I believe that 70% reduction can be reached via conservation alone. The remaining 30% can be produced on site leading to a net-zero building, or in other words: energy independence.
This can and should be multiplied throughout the country to achieve sustainable national energy independence.
You are all welcome to visit my poster in the EnergyTech exhibition in Ganei Hata'arucha on the 27th and 28th of October - where I explain how energy savings of over 30% are achievable by specifically targeting the culture of consumption - what most people prefer to avoid - like a diet, but with energy.
Although changing our consumption culture is initially a difficult task, seemingly an unsurmountable task, it is worthwhile for our distant future and I believe the most sustainable as well as economic thing that can be done in the immediate future.
B.t.w. the electricity bill in my house was around 25NIS/month per capita in the last 4 months of summer. I can explain that too for those who wish :-)