Google's philanthropic unit, Google.org, is forking over $2.65 million to the Energy Foundation in an effort to get utilities and states to change how they charge consumers for electricity.
While there have been all sorts of leaps forward in power-sucking technologies like phones, computers and TVs, how we use and pay for our electricity hasn't changed much.
The technology--like smart meters and programmable thermostats--is there, Michael Terrell, senior policy counsel of energy and sustainability with Google, wrote Monday on the company's blog. However, the rules governing electricity distribution were written for last century's grid, wrote Terrell.
Google.org is giving the grant to the Energy Foundation to help lobby for policy reforms focusing on three key areas:
Some progress has been made on the open-data policy front. Green Button--the White House-Energy Department program that’s pushing for a simple, universal format that allows electricity customers to access their energy usage data--has signed on a number of utilities since its launch last January.
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This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com