Jackson Associates (Atlanta, Georgia) has announced results from the first utility-detailed nationwide study of Smart Grid savings. This study is the first to apply individual utility customer end-use hourly electric loads to evaluate Smart Grid costs and benefits. Data for more than 800,000 residential and commercial utility customers in the 200 largest U.S. utilities were applied in the study.

In addition, this study breaks new ground in providing the first “bottom-up” analysis of utility Smart Grid systems by applying the MAISY Utility Customer Hourly Loads Databases. These data-bases have a long history in evaluating energy-technology impacts, including studies of fuel cells, combined heat and power, cool storage, wind, flywheel and other technologies.

MAISY clients include utilities, states, Department of Energy research laboratories and energy technology companies including United Technologies, Carrier, Toyota, Ingersoll Rand, Aisin, Bloom, Ice Energy, IdaTech and others.

Study conclusions include:

• Total savings potential, after cost, is $48 billion for the 200 largest U.S. utilities.
• Individual utility savings range from negative savings to $3.2 billion.
• One out of 10 utilities may lose money with comprehensive Smart Grid deployments.
• Targeted, strategic technology deployments significantly increase benefit/cost ratios.
• Customer end-use hourly load information should be used to ensure economic benefits exceed costs.