Once the system is installed, customers use a Raytheon energy control unit, which is about the size of a battery-operated video game and can be plugged in anywhere in the home. Morrow says CSW worked closely with Raytheon to refine the design of this unit which took its cue from the ubiquitous ATM machines. While many people may still have trouble programming their VCRs, he notes the bulk of the population can go to an ATM and in 20 seconds get all the money their account will allow. That's what made sense to them. With unit in hand, consumers take control of their energy consumption.
Conventional rates average out to about eight cents per kwh.
In the CCC trial, the lowest price is 5.5 cents per kwh during off-peak hours, while the most expensive rate is 35 cents per kwh at peak periods, for example, between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays. The pricing schedule, notes Morrow, was not set arbitrarily by the utility. Focus groups were also used here. Surprisingly, focus group participants picked the most aggressive schedule with the highest prices during peak hours, because, says Morrow, it also offered the lowest prices during off-peak hours. And the consumer always has the option to override the system by pressing just a few buttons.