Published on: Saturday, March 06, 2010

By Tiffany March, Special to The Sentinel

Imagine you left town for a weekend vacation, accidentally leaving the air conditioning set on high. No sweat – you can adjust it with an application on your iPhone.

Or imagine getting to work and realizing you forgot to run the dishwasher. No problem, because another application can start your appliances remotely.

These scenarios may sound far out, but they are almost reality for Maryland residents. Thanks to $10.5 billion in stimulus funds from the federal government, the first stage of “Smart Grid” technology will come to your home as soon as this year.

The idea behind Smart Grid is that each house will have a “Smart Meter” sending and receiving real-time information from utility companies using a radio frequency. So when your home loses power, you won’t have to call the utility to complain because the Smart Meter will have already sent out an alert.

“The meter on your house really belongs in the Smithsonian,” said Stephen Sunderhauf, who works for PHI, the company that owns Pepco and Delmarva Power.

But some Maryland groups urge caution, arguing that the government hasn’t had time to create grid standards yet, the technology is still untested, huge start-up costs will ultimately fall on consumers, and private information about our daily routines could be misused.

Despite these issues, modern electronic devices and renewable energy sources like wind and solar power need a Smart Grid. The electric grid now in use is based on technology from the early 1900s, Sunderhauf said. “The sooner we bring (Smart Grid technology) to our Maryland marketplace, the better off our consumers will be. Embrace the future.”

Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. successfully completed a Smart Grid pilot program last year, and Pepco has already begun installing Smart Meters in Delaware, with Maryland to follow soon.

Both companies need the Maryland Public Service Commission’s approval before they can install Smart Meters for all customers or use federal stimulus grants for Smart Grid -- $200 million for BGE and $168 million for Pepco.

If the commission approves BGE’s plan, it will start installing 2 million Smart Meters as soon as this year, finishing by 2014. Pepco has a similar timeline.

Smart Grid advocates say consumers will save money by being able to determine times when energy costs are highest, and choosing to run energy-guzzling appliances during off-peak hours.

Initially, customers should be able to track their energy use after a day’s lag time through a Web site. Eventually, customers will have in-home displays with instant information about their energy use and cost.

“Smart Grid technology will absolutely offer consumers options to decrease their rates,” said Maryland Energy Administration spokeswoman Christina Twomey. The Energy Administration, she said, supports BGE’s Smart Grid plan, with some recommendations.

The administration would like to see customers who are uncomfortable with technology retain regular rates, instead of instituting mandatory “time-of-use” rates, when energy costs more during peak daytime hours, Twomey said.

Another problem is that Smart Grid lacks standards, which must be determined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, said Theresa Czarski, deputy counsel for the Office of People’s Counsel in Baltimore.

“We really felt we were rushed into this (BGE) case because of the federal money,” Czarski said, adding that major Smart Grid start-up costs will ultimately fall on consumers.

Czarski is also concerned about privacy.

“(Smart Grid) opens a portal into people’s houses,” which can be hacked into, she said.

The Future of Privacy Forum also discussed privacy issues in a November 2009 report, suggesting utility companies may be tempted to sell information about customers’ energy use.

“It is not yet clear who along the grid will have access to a user’s personal information and where on the grid such access will be possible,” the report said.

Other Maryland companies are getting on board with Smart Grid.

Eka Systems, a small technology company based in Germantown, makes circuit board nodes for meters that transmit information to the utility company through a radio signal. The company recently helped San Marcos, Texas, upgrade all of its 30,000 meters.

The circuit boards are specially designed to protect information and prevent viruses from spreading, said Michael Van Hall, a marketing analyst with Eka Systems.