What Is the Smart Grid and Why Should We Care?

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The "smart grid" and "smart meters" may leave low-income people in the dark--literally. Smart-grid programs are spreading across the country and are accompanied by unaffordable costs. Consumers are being forced to buy smart meters that will automatically shut off power if they do not pay their bills. Advocates must press policymakers and utilities to ensure that low-income people retain procedural protections and can affordably participate in smart-grid programs through subsidies, weatherization, and other programs.

Readers may also be interested in the archive of a webinar on the same topic.

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By Julie Nepveu and Nicole M. Diaz From 2010 September-October Clearinghouse Review