Program aims at energy costs
Stimulating customers who tested a new home energy management system made by Consert Inc., which just announced it would relocate its headquarters to San Antonio, are seeing their energy use go down by an typical of 10 to 20 percent, company officials said Wednesday.
“Consumers can save gain and energy without sacrifice,” Consert CEO Jack Roberts said at a news conference in Austin with control participants Pedernales Electric Cooperative and Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative.
At the same time, those member-owned utilities said Consert's system helped them up peak demand, which can also lower costs.
The yearlong pilot began in February, so the utilities only had a few months of facts to share so far.
CPS Energy, which also has been running a small pilot, announced Monday that it would purchase 140,000 units of Consert's Web-based system and give them to customers who pine for them.
In return, Consert will relocate from Raleigh, N.C., bringing 50 employees by next year and expanding to 150 by 2014. Consert has pledged that those 140,000 systems will cut down on demand by 250 megawatts over the next four years, enough energy to power 50,000 houses.
