On The Fly

In this episode - PG&E Launches EV Pilot Program . . . In a previous podcast episode ( Bi-Directional Charging ), we reported on V2H and V2G technology. Happy New Year, welcome to season four of On the Fly. Dateline: Dec. 6, 2022 - Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced the launch of a pre-enrollment website for customers interested in joining the company’s upcoming Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) pilot program.  The “Vehicle to Everything” pilot envisions a future in which automobiles not only draw their power from the electrical grid but can strategically add electricity back to the grid when demand is high — and generate some money for their owners. It’s based on the concept of bidirectional energy flow using EV batteries; this isn’t new, but having a utility company as dominant as PG&E onboard could transform the idea into a reality. The pilot has space for 1,000 residential customers and 200 commercial customers. PG&E isn’t releasing the numbers for how ...

In this episode (172) – Turn off the Lights . . . It happened on Thursday; Fall officially arrived, and soon darkness will be upon us by 5:00 p.m. To prepare, let's look at our energy usage and the most cost-effective way to light our home this winter. Compulsively turning off household lights to save money is a habit most of us have, but it's not the money-saving power move we think it is - unless . . .   Back in my day, it made sense to turn the lights off when you left the room. As Mom always said, "Turn off the lights! We're not made of money." Let's be clear, if you turn off any device in your home that uses electricity, no matter how big or small the device, you will, of course, save money. It doesn't matter if the device is a power-hungry tungsten lamp or a tiny night light in the bathroom. You are obviously not paying for electricity if it isn't using electricity. However, LEDs completely changed the game regarding serious energy savings. The e...