GTM Research has released its “2010 North American Utility Smart Grid Deployment Survey”, a comprehensive analysis of the trends emerging in the US as utilities across the continent roll out smarter grids. The report shows that smart grids are no longer just a concept and are beginning to become critical to utilities’ business plans.

The 2010 North American Utility Smart Grid Deployment Survey draws on over 30 detailed smart-grid deployment questions posed to decision makers at more than 50 North American utilities. It provides critical insights about the near-term issues and longer-term plans for the developing smart grid market including: AMI and smart meter deployment schedules, priorities for building out a networked grid, utility deployment concerns, connecting smart grid networks to consumers, and the integration of renewables, storage and PHEVs.

“Many North American utility executives hold smart-grid initiatives as a very high priority,” said David J. Leeds, Smart Grid Analyst with GTM Research. “70% of survey respondents regard smart-grid projects as either a strong priority or the highest priority relative to their overall business plans between now and 2015.”

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What do dieting and energy policy have in common? The SnackWell effect. The name comes from those tasty little cookies that are advertised as being lower in fat and sugar. And they are–which often leads dieters to eat more of them than regular cookies and then wonder why they’re not losing weight.

It turns out there’s a SnackWell effect for energy use too–and it may make it tougher for us to cut back on carbon. When environmentally conscious consumers buy an energy-efficient dishwasher, for example, they may feel less guilty about running the machine more often and as a result may not end up saving much on their utility bills. Owners of new tankless hot water heaters consume more hot water because they can and don’t realize they’re offsetting any monetary benefit of the system’s higher efficiency. Likewise, studies indicate that people who install more-energy-efficient lights lose 5% to 12% of the expected savings by leaving them on longer.

Much like dieters eating too many SnackWell’s, we can hamstring our attempts to save energy and money. So resist the urge to raise your thermostat after you buy a more efficient furnace; lower the temperature by a degree and shave another 1% off your heating bill.

But even if we do what Jimmy Carter did and wear a stylin’ ’70s sweater all winter, we may end up spending those energy savings somewhere else–like on a plane ride to Bermuda. Although studies are scant, a 2007 report by the UK Energy Research Centre estimated that globally, this rebound effect could reduce the savings from energy efficiency by 10% or more.

That doesn’t mean energy-efficiency measures are useless–or that we should never go on vacation. But it does mean that cutting back on energy consumption, like dieting, is not an excuse to gorge ourselves on less guilty pleasures.

By STEVE BROWN

The economic bust hasn’t just shrunk the U.S. job market and retirement accounts. New homes are downsizing for the first time in years.

“The average new home size actually declined in 2009,” Rose Quint, an economics researcher for the National Association of Home Builders, said at this week’s housing industry convention. “There has been almost 30 years of growth in the size of homes.”

In the last couple of years, there has been almost a 10 percent drop in the median size of homes started in the U.S., according to statistics from the builders’ association.

The average size of a house completed last year in the U.S. was less than 2,500 square feet – the smallest in three years. And the median size of homes started in 2009 but not yet finished fell further, to 2,094 square feet.

The average new home size has been more than 2,000 square feet since the late 1980s.

Buyers and builders are becoming more frugal, industry analysts say.

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Austin Energy has devised a new approach for incentivizing solar power among its commercial, multifamily, and non-profit customers.

The municipal electric utility said the new approach saves $2.4 million over the life of the program compared to the old way of administering the program for those customers.

Rather than provide an upfront rebate on the installation of solar systems, Austin Energy will pay for each kilowatt-hour of electricity produced over a 10-year period. This is known as a fixed performance-based incentive (PBI) and it achieves two goals. First, it provides a fixed payment flow to a system owner by which payback can be calculated and second, it encourages proper design and maintenance of systems to maximize their production.

Over the next five years, the PBI program is expected to pay, on average, 8 cents per kWh of solar energy produced with program funding sufficient for almost 260 solar systems, each up to 20 kW in size. Total PBI payments over the next 14 years under the plan are projected at $4.8 million.

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Rinnai Corp developed what it claims is the world’s first domestic water heater that combines an air-to-water heat pump and a gas water heater.

The water heater, which the company calls “hybrid water heater,” will be released April 2, 2010, in Japan. Because the heater has the same air heating function as the company’s “Eco Jyouzu” gas water heater, it can be used not only for heating water but also for floor heating and bathroom heating.

The hybrid water heater switches heat sources in accordance with the needed amount and temperature of water. To supply a small amount of hot water, only the heat pump is used. The heat pump and the Eco Jyouzu gas water heater are used to supply a large amount of hot water such as for a bath. And only the gas water heater is used for floor heating and bathroom heating.

The energy efficiency of the water heater was improved by 24% because heat sources can be switched, Rinnai said. Its annual CO2 emission was reduced by about 20% compared with that of the Eco Jyouzu gas water heater and by about 30% compared with that of the Eco Cute heat pump-based water heater (460L model). And the annual running cost of the hybrid water heater is about half that of the Eco Jyouzu gas water heater.

The amortization period of the hybrid water heater is about seven years. It will be available in two models. One comes with heat source equipment integrated with a water tank, and the other has heat source equipment separated from a water tank. Their prices are ¥756,000 (approx US$8,457) and 735,000 (including tax), respectively.