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By Nathan Peck | MiEnergy
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Douglas Berg, manager of The Green Well in Grand Rapids, said the restaurant’s displays showing the energy production of rooftop solar panels has become a conversation piece for patrons. PHOTO: NATHAN PECK

GRAND RAPIDS — An effort toward implementing smart grid technology is kicking into high gear.

SmartStreet ­— a yearlong pilot project by Consumers Energy and community and government partners into the effects of smart metering, energy audits, and conservation efforts on a Grand Rapids neighborhood — is arming businesses and residents with the knowledge of how to manage their energy consumption. The program launched in the East Hills neighborhood in January, with 31 businesses and 29 homes taking part.

Roger Morgenstern, smart grid communications coordinator for Consumers Energy, said that the project is giving the utility company valuable insight into how customers can take control of their energy usage and how the utility can roll out the program statewide.

“We want to give the participants an idea of what their energy usage is. We’ve armed them with information,” he told MiEnergy. “With access to the web portal, participants can see energy use in almost real time. Instead of getting a bill at the end of the month, this gives you information in near real time and participants can make decisions about their usage accordingly.”

The smart metering comes amid the backdrop of Consumers’ move toward decoupling electricity rates, which will charge customers different rates for on-peak and off-peak electricity usage. Participants in the program have access to a website that tracks their electricity usage each day.

“You pay the same whether per kilowatt hour whether you use it at 2 p.m. or 2 a.m. But as we move toward time-of-use pricing, customers will want to decide whether they want to put off heavy energy use until later in the evening,” Morgenstern said. “By having different pricing programs and time of use rates, we want to help customers make decisions about their energy usage. We are working on developing these programs and this pilot helps us get feedback.”

Consumers is investing $750 million through 2019 to develop the smart grid technology, and the East Hills neighborhood is providing a test bed for technologies and approaches to get customers involved in making decisions to determine how to manage their electricity usage. As part of the program, homeowners and businesses have undergone energy audits in order to evaluate how simple steps like adding insulation or unplugging unused electronics can help reduce their energy usage.

“As an energy provider, how much you use isn’t necessarily reflected in your rates. Our rate structure is evolving with the Michigan Public Service Commission,” Morgenstern explained. “The best way to conserve energy is to use less of it, and it will eventually help hold down rates. We may not have to make as large of investments so soon in additional generating capacity.”

Consumers estimates that 29 SmartStreet homes are expected to lower their collective natural gas use by up to 265 thousand cubic feet a year. Between the homes and business participants, carbon dioxide emissions are expected to be reduced by 378,179 pounds, sulfur dioxide emissions reduced by 1,216 pounds, and nitrogen oxide emissions reduced by 346 pounds.

Nick Occhipinti, policy and community activism manager for the West Michigan Environmental Action Council, said the program benefits from business and neighborhood involvement. The organization is one of several partners on SmartStreet and has helped coordinate community meetings and helps promote WMEAC’s mission of promoting environmental advocacy and education.

The Green Well was one of the early participants in Consumers Energy’s SmartStreet program, which complements the company’s sustainability focus. PHOTOS: NATHAN PECK

“Being a community center … it was a natural fit,” Occhipinti told MiEnergy. “We’re able to keep our members and neighbors up on what is going on. The learning component is important. We are able to share the experiences of commercial, industrial and residential participants.”

The WMEAC headquarters is a LEED Gold commercial building, but Occhipinti said that the online tracking program has helped the organization more closely monitor its energy usage. Coupled with a previous energy audit, Occhipinti said WMEAC is re-evaluating its practices and the performance of the HVAC and mechanical systems in the building.

“For us, we were able to track our energy usage day-to-day and troubleshoot our usage,” Occhipinti said. “We were able to look at what the base load of power we were using was, even when our building was unoccupied. The bottom line is that energy efficiency and optimization is the cheapest form of new energy.”

Step into The Green Well Gastro Pub, and one immediately sees a flat-screen display that shows the energy generated by a solar panel on the roof of the restaurant. The display is a visual expression of the sustainable philosophy of the restaurant’s ownership, Essence Restaurant Group, which includes Bistro Bella Vita in downtown Grand Rapids and Grove, a restaurant to open this month.

The Green Well is LEED certified, and ingredients for the plates are sourced locally as much as possible — a fact that is attractive to customers, said restaurant manager Douglas Berg.

“We get a lot of positive response from the display,” Berg said. “We know that one of the three main things that attract people to our business is our green practices.”

Rob McCarty, spokesman for Essence Restaurant Group, said the restaurant’s participation in SmartStreet falls in line with the organization’s commitment to environmental responsibility.

“This is really about who The Green Well is,” McCarty said. “This fits into an organization that is looking at sustainability not only in the direction of food, but holistically looking at sustainability as a core value of the organization.”

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TAGS:

• consumers energy
• essence restaurant group
• grand rapids
• rob mccarty
• roger morgenstern
• smartstreet