Beyond the Bill: In-Home Displays Deliver Energy Savings

This Energy Insights report - the fourth in a series on in-home displays - examines the impact of in-home display units on residential electricity consumption. We summarize the results of three industry pilots and look at the results achieved by a utility program that incorporates an IHD. We also address the implications of these findings to both the residential electricity market and the utility companies considering IHD programs.

As the demand for electricity grows, energy efficiency and demand response are set up to be the "first fuels" in North America. Building new generation is costly and time intensive. The most economical solution, especially in the short run, is to reduce the amount of electricity we use through energy efficiency and the capacity we need through demand response programs. Energy Insights believes that one of the keys to a successful residential program is an in-home display. "An IHD puts information at the customers' fingertips, and both utility pilots and programs have shown that customers put that information to good use and use less," says Kelly Marrin, senior research analyst, Energy Consumer and End Use Research.