PSEG exec: Forget smart grid, we should be caulking windows

By Jesse Berst

Ralph Izzo, as chief executive of New Jersey’s Public Service Electric and Gas Co. (PSEG), was one of the first electric power executives to jump onto the smart grid bandwagon, way back in 1998. Now he's one of the first to jump back off.

A mechanical engineer and physicist by training, Izzo admits he "fell in love" with smart grid gadgetry in the late 90s, according to a story in the Washington Post.Thirteen years later, he confesses that “what I really wish my customers would do would be to use more caulking.”

You can install smart meters, but the homes probably still have dumb appliances and homeowners too busy to be bothered. At least for now, simple measures such as caulking might save more energy, he believes.

Speaking at a Washington Post conference, Izzo lamented that utilities had "collectively decided to skip the low-hanging fruit and go for the top of the tree." He said efficiency is the easiest way to cut demand and avoid the need to build new generation.

Jesse Berst is the founder and chief analyst of Smart Grid News.com. He consults to smart grid companies seeking market entry advice and M&A advisory. A frequent keynoter at industry events in the US and abroad, he also serves on the Advisory Council of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory's Energy & Environment directorate.

More on this topic …

Boom times ahead for EE and DR, economists conclude

Are utilities retreating from the smart grid front lines?

Overcoming sticker shock to move ahead on energy efficiency