Chugach Electric Association and Tendril, an energy management technology provider, have teamed up with 90 Chugach residential customers to determine whether on-site energy monitors help people lower their energy consumption and electric bills.
The research project, dubbed “Watt Buster,” is funded by Chugach and a matching grant from the Alaska Energy Authority. Watt Buster also has a commercial component, which is monitoring electric, gas and air quality systems at 30 commercial buildings.
The residential component of Watt Buster uses the Tendril platform. Each home receives a monitor that records energy use and displays near real-time feedback on energy consumption. Through a Web portal and a small counter-top display device, participants see how much power they are using, the cost, and compare energy consumption with their historical consumption.
After the trial period, data about participants’ energy use will be compiled and compared to the same months in previous years.
Chugach is the largest electric utility in Alaska, providing power for Alaskans throughout the Railbelt through retail, wholesale and economy energy sales. The company serves more than 66,000 members (more than 78,000 active meters) in a service territory which extends from Anchorage to the northern Kenai Peninsula, and from Whittier on Prince William Sound to Tyonek on the west side of Cook Inlet.
