UCLA Study Helps Californians Save Electricity — and Money — this Summer Participants in UCLA Luskin research effort receive smartphone notifications that help them make smart decisions about electricity usage and avoid peak pricing
Electricity demand fluctuates each day, and consumers who want to unplug during peak times to save money and help the environment now have a new tool at their disposal. Chai Energy, a partner of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation, is making real-time energy information a reality for electricity consumers who want to reduce or shift their electricity usage during peak periods when electricity is the most expensive.
In a pilot study funded by a California Energy Commission grant of more than $2 million, UCLA is seeking to understand and identify the most effective demand response program designs for different types of households across the state, depending on social characteristics.
“We want to provide a comprehensive tool that will help customers save money while improving grid reliability, reducing pollution during peak hours, and maybe even preventing blackouts” said J.R. DeShazo, director of the Luskin Center for Innovation at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs.
How does the study work?
The UCLA researchers have partnered with a clean technology company named Chai Energy. “Chai developed a free smartphone application that displays your home daily electricity consumption and provides you with tips on how to better manage your electricity bill,” DeShazo said. This could include knowing when it makes financial sense to replace an old appliance, or simply what time to use it based on electricity prices. Chai has also developed a gateway device that establishes communication between a participant’s smartphone and the smart-meter already installed in his house, allowing users to see real-time energy consumption by individual household appliances.
The UCLA Luskin Center is delivering and testing messages designed to inform Californians about their electricity consumption and provide tips for reducing it. About 10,000 Californians are expected to download the app and participate in the study.
“This large sample will enable researchers to identify the most effective format, timing and content of messages,” said Julien Gattaciecca, project manager and one of the researchers.
How can Californians participate?
The free Chai Energy application can be found by searching for Chai Energy in android or IOS app stores or by visiting chaienergy.com. Those who install the app are automatically enrolled in the study. A free Chai gateway device with a market value of $75 is being randomly distributed to 5,000 participants.
The study is currently available only for customers of Pacific Gas & Electricity (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), and San Diego Gas & Electricity (SDG&E).
Luskin Center and the Chai Energy App from UCLA Luskin on Vimeo.
The video is also available on YouTube.
This is such a simple way to check your energy consumption! Old appliances can really push up your power bill. This is especially true of old lighting technologies. Though I’m not customer of current power providers, I will surely check out the app, and also recommend it to customers who have bought SeniorLED lighting solutions so that they can measure the change in power consumption. I always recommend entrepreneurs invest in commercial and residential projects to go for LED lighting since it will lead to big savings in the long run. Keep on the great work, guys.
I really enjoyed reading this blog post about saving electricity and money during the summer. It’s great to see how small changes in daily routines can make a big difference in reducing energy consumption and keeping bills low. The study highlighted in this blog post also shows how technology can be used to make it easier for people to track their energy use and identify areas where they can make improvements. This is an important topic, and I appreciate the tips and insights shared in this post.