Comments on: Standard Formats for Utility Bills: Why it Matters http://www.fas.org/blog/btech/2009/04/standard_formats_for_utility_bills_why_it_matters.html Advancing social and environmental justice within the building industry through inspired and globally conscious research. Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:31:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Carmine Irish http://www.fas.org/blog/btech/2009/04/standard_formats_for_utility_bills_why_it_matters.html/comment-page-1#comment-216 Carmine Irish Thu, 10 Jun 2010 23:07:31 +0000 http://fas.org/blog/btech/?p=154#comment-216 Made my night. I'm looking for your recent stuff now Made my night. I’m looking for your recent stuff now

]]> By: Mike Thomas http://www.fas.org/blog/btech/2009/04/standard_formats_for_utility_bills_why_it_matters.html/comment-page-1#comment-113 Mike Thomas Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:17:25 +0000 http://fas.org/blog/btech/?p=154#comment-113 Amen. Much of the work my company does is helping building owners overcome exactly this problem. Unfortunately we're dealing with an obsolete utility industry structure. Replacement of standard meters with smart meters, though not essential for data standardization, is a logical first step. But that job, when you include the hardware and software infrastructure needed to support the meters, is very expensive. Utilities own the meters, and have no motivation to replace them until they are legislated and someone else covers the cost. Many utilities will resist any kind of information transparency. If regulators continue to allow it, complex and confusing billing is a viable business tactic. Why would an encumbent, with a monopoly mentality, willingly give it's customers the information they need to shop around? Thanks for this post. The answer has to come from industry regulators, and they have yet to grasp the problem. Amen. Much of the work my company does is helping building owners overcome exactly this problem. Unfortunately we’re dealing with an obsolete utility industry structure.

Replacement of standard meters with smart meters, though not essential for data standardization, is a logical first step. But that job, when you include the hardware and software infrastructure needed to support the meters, is very expensive. Utilities own the meters, and have no motivation to replace them until they are legislated and someone else covers the cost.

Many utilities will resist any kind of information transparency. If regulators continue to allow it, complex and confusing billing is a viable business tactic. Why would an encumbent, with a monopoly mentality, willingly give it’s customers the information they need to shop around?

Thanks for this post. The answer has to come from industry regulators, and they have yet to grasp the problem.

]]> By: Sue | African Housing http://www.fas.org/blog/btech/2009/04/standard_formats_for_utility_bills_why_it_matters.html/comment-page-1#comment-102 Sue | African Housing Tue, 21 Jul 2009 08:57:14 +0000 http://fas.org/blog/btech/?p=154#comment-102 I have to agree with this topic and its nice to see that you are having problems that side of the world too, here in South Africa all of a sudden power and electricity have become a huge issue,with government and the power people saying that we are running out of this resource last year they even had a thing called load shedding trying to get people to relies that there is a problem but these people did this i the middle of winter in the most prime time usage, creating huge problems and funny this year nothing but they did hike up the price a great deal. I have to agree with this topic and its nice to see that you are having problems that side of the world too, here in South Africa all of a sudden power and electricity have become a huge issue,with government and the power people saying that we are running out of this resource last year they even had a thing called load shedding trying to get people to relies that there is a problem but these people did this i the middle of winter in the most prime time usage, creating huge problems and funny this year nothing but they did hike up the price a great deal.

]]> By: Kevin Skurski http://www.fas.org/blog/btech/2009/04/standard_formats_for_utility_bills_why_it_matters.html/comment-page-1#comment-83 Kevin Skurski Fri, 05 Jun 2009 22:46:11 +0000 http://fas.org/blog/btech/?p=154#comment-83 We couldn't agree more about the importance of standardized, online utility bills. We see the problem with the current situation all the time - contractors, engineers, and other building service providers are stymied or slowed down in their efforts to conduct energy assessments or audits because of the difficulty of getting or inputting utility bills. The complexity of the software needed to analyze this information is also increased due to the lack of standardization. If we want to get anywhere close to goals around energy usage, carbon emissions, etc., an important starting place is a solid understanding of where we are now and what we can do to have the most impact. Utility bill standardization must be a part of this. We couldn’t agree more about the importance of standardized, online utility bills. We see the problem with the current situation all the time – contractors, engineers, and other building service providers are stymied or slowed down in their efforts to conduct energy assessments or audits because of the difficulty of getting or inputting utility bills. The complexity of the software needed to analyze this information is also increased due to the lack of standardization.
If we want to get anywhere close to goals around energy usage, carbon emissions, etc., an important starting place is a solid understanding of where we are now and what we can do to have the most impact. Utility bill standardization must be a part of this.

]]> By: Peter Leach http://www.fas.org/blog/btech/2009/04/standard_formats_for_utility_bills_why_it_matters.html/comment-page-1#comment-64 Peter Leach Thu, 23 Apr 2009 07:05:32 +0000 http://fas.org/blog/btech/?p=154#comment-64 An awful lot of costly scientific analysis for the sake of its own self perpetuation? Why would you possibly want to calculate all the latent energy and energy used on the planet if at all possible, to save a few dollars, when by comparison and with necessity as the mother of invention, science will adopt the never ending free energy supply from the sun? An awful lot of costly scientific analysis for the sake of its own self perpetuation? Why would you possibly want to calculate all the latent energy and energy used on the planet if at all possible, to save a few dollars, when by comparison and with necessity as the mother of invention, science will adopt the never ending free energy supply from the sun?

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