As part of their continued update and feedback on Green Building Energy Codes, the US Department of Energy recently sent out an e-mail requesting feedback on “Assisting States to Adopt, Implement, Enforce and Assess Compliance with Building Energy Codes”

If you check out the US DOE’s website at http://www.energycodes.gov/, you will see they have already done a lot, but, with the distribution of funds for SmartMeters, energy efficient appliances, rebates for those appliances, and the expanded programs in some states for wind and solar energy at the consumer level, the processes, codes, and enforcements need to be properly monitored so the programs don’t turn into a way for someone to line their pockets with Federal dollars while only partially benefiting the consumer because the education and monitoring tool portions of the program are never implemented.

Unfortunately, the lack of follow-through by Commonwealth Edison, the local energy distribution facility for most of Northern Illinois, seems to have become a part of the problem.

For those of you who have been following my blog, you are already aware that Commonwealth Edison, the local electricity supplier in Chicago, recently installed Smart Meters with a grant from the Economic Stimulus Program.

According to Comed's website at: https://www.comed.com/sites/customerservice/Pages/yourmeter_smartprogram.aspx, this pilot program is the predecessor to a full deployment of Smart Meters throughout their region in Illinois.

According to the installer who installed my SmartMeter, those who have had Smart Meters installed are:

1. Supposed to be able to monitor the meters via a Comed Website.

2. Supposed to be able to monitor the meters via software on their PCs.

3. Supposed to be able to see real-time energy utilization on either the Comed website or via software which communicates with the SmartMeter.

I have repeatedly contacted Commonwealth Edison and they have zero information on accessing the data from the new SmartMeters.

Therein lies the problem!  As is so typical of both Illinois politics and Commonwealth Edison's continued lies to the energy users in Illinois, no one at Commonwealth Edison seems to know anything about what the Smart Meter program is, how to access the data, when the real-time data will be available to Smart Metered customers or anything else about energy conservation tools except services and appliances that Commonwealth either wants to SELL or is in cahoots with another vendor to sell.

The Smart Meter program should empower ALL SMART METER USERS to be able to have immediate and continuous access to their energy consumption via both the Comed website AND via third-party tools and apps.

If Comed simply installs Smart Meters simply to spend monies allocated under the stimulus program, because they are mandated to spend those monies, and never makes the tools to effectively utilize the Smart Meters for their intended purpose, ENERGY CONSERVATION, then the Smart Meters are nothing more than a bunch of expensive toys installed a part of a program to give a bunch of union Commonwealth Edison employees overtime.