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how to save money on your electricity bill without switching supplier
Demand Response -what's that?
Demand response adjusts demand according to availability of supply. It is already happening, for example large hotels can be paid to switch off their air conditioning for short periods of high demand, with no noticeable loss of comfort for guests and staff. Kiwi Power are already doing it in UK.
Western Power Distribution are the largest distribution network operators (DNO's) in England, and are increasingly thinking about how to manage demand. Here's a video they recently released:
My friend Professor Dave Elliott has written an excellent book on renewable electricity which you can download here In chapter 5 he goes into the subject of demand response.
Amory Lovins, Director of the Rocky Mountain Institute, has some good news for renewables where demand response is concerned.
The Department of Energy and Climate Change, DECC has produced a document on their view of the rollout of smart meters and demand response. Their timetable stretches out for several decades. Do we have time to wait?
Smart Cornwall has started to think about demand response across a geographical area, see their video-
There has been more significant progress in the Netherlands, where smart meters are being actively tested
The Economist has an article about the costs of intermittency- hotly disputed by Amory Lovins and others - but which nonetheless makes the case for demand response very well