Another terrific example of how technology can solve environmental problems (and great to see a Sacramento company in the forefront) and the billions spent on retrofitting will pay dividends forever.
An excerpt.
Local firm eyes future in 'smart meters'
As energy costs rise, utilities will likely spend billions to retrofit homes and businesses.
By Clint Swett -- Bee Staff Writer Published 12:01 am PDT Tuesday, September 5, 2006
Someday soon, homeowners will stroll into their kitchen on a blistering summer afternoon, glance at a wall-mounted display and see how much it's costing to keep the house at a cool 72 degrees.
By tapping a few buttons, they can instantly calculate what it would save to notch the thermostat up to 78, or how much they'd conserve by waiting until late evening to run the dishwasher and washing machine.
Such is the promise of so-called "smart meters," a new generation of electric meters that continually communicate with the utility and let consumers see exactly how much their energy usage is costing.
It's a business that could be worth billions of dollars annually as utilities nationwide move to retrofit homes and businesses with new meters.
And Sacramento-based USCL Corp. wants a piece of it.
Backed by $4 million from a Chinese meter maker and $1.6 million from local investors, USCL is positioning itself for a potential bonanza.
"More than 100 million meters have to be replaced in the United States over the next 10 years," said Tomer "Tom" Tamarkin, USCL's president and chief executive. "The market is ready to take off."
In October, 350 USCL smart meters will be installed in low-income housing units scattered across Los Angeles County as part of a pilot program sponsored by Los Angeles County and Southern California Edison.
