Guest Editor

Jon Wellinghoff

As for initial impressions of the PowerCentsDC pilot I have to say very
little to date. The installation went well as scheduled. I read all the
introductory information. I am anxious to attend the PEPCo training
session when scheduled because as of yet I still have a fairly vague
idea of what to expect from the pilot and how it can benefit me and my
family in managing our energy use. The only “hitch” to date was a phone
call from a PowerCentsDC representative last week asking that I go to my
installed thermostat and remove it from the wall to read to her the
serial number on the back. Either due to a lack of my understanding of
how it was attached to my wall or the fact that it is actually firmly
attached in a manner that is not obvious I was not able to perform my
first requested task. In any event the representative was very polite
and indicated that the serial number would be determined at another
time. I guess my only comment is being the type who likes to take things
out of the box and set them up and get going without reading the
instruction manual, this system to date does not appear to readily lend
itself to the “plug-and-play” mentality. I am hopeful that will change
once I have received the training and the pilot goes live.
Jon Wellinghoff