With Great Power Your attic insulation is a grid asset
Seth's Early Smart Home Spark
- Seth Little's fascination with smart homes began as a teenager in Indianapolis in the early 90s.
- A Jurassic Park clip with surround sound and a magazine about whole house automation inspired his career in energy efficiency.
Attic Insulation as Grid Asset
- Attic insulation functions as a grid-responsive asset by reducing peak demand consistently without active management.
- This passive efficiency is often more cost-effective than deploying multiple digital demand response systems.
Your Attic Insulation Is a Hidden Superpower for Grid Efficiency
Attic insulation acts as a passive but powerful grid-responsive asset by always reducing peak electricity demand without needing digital connectivity or active user intervention.
Seth Little explains that unlike demand response programs, a well-insulated attic continuously lessens the load on air conditioners during peak times, providing reliable grid benefits and cost savings. This passive efficiency measure is often more cost-effective than deploying multiple distributed digital systems.
Utilities tend to focus on active, digital solutions, but integrating traditional efficiency methods like attic insulation can complement these efforts and help meet the vast challenge of the energy transition. Improved access to high-resolution meter data now allows utilities to better measure and target these efficiencies, enhancing program design and effectiveness.
Key points:
- Well-insulated attics reduce peak demand without internet or opt-outs
- Passive measures can be cheaper than active digital systems
- High-resolution meter data enables precise targeting of energy savings
- Utilities should combine traditional and digital approaches for a resilient grid