By Sia Ling Xin

YOU could cut your electricity bill just by keeping tabs on how much electricity you are using, and how much it costs at different times.

In trials, about 400 households here that were given such information by a 'smart grid', shaved 2 per cent off their total electricity consumption over six months.

They also shifted their usage of electricity from peak to non-peak periods by 10 per cent, resulting in more savings.

A smart grid is an electricity grid that tracks each household's power usage and presents the cost through a 'smart' meter.

It also comes with a 'demandresponse' system that enables users to monitor and manage electrical consumption, according to changes in price.

It is designed to help consumers better understand their electricityusage patterns and manage their overall energy needs, said Energy Market Authority (EMA) chief executive Lawrence Wong.

Two trials were carried out in public and private residential estates in Marine Parade and West Coast earlier this year.

Their success prompted the EMA to test the smart grid on a larger scale - in thousands of households, offices and factories - in the Intelligent Energy System trial, which was launched yesterday.

The trial's focal point will be located at Nanyang Technological University, which has the research and technological capabilities to facilitate the testing of various applications for this project, said Mr Wong.

The EMA will call for a tender from companies interested in offering smart-grid solutions for this project, and will award it by the middle of next year.

The multi-million-dollar project will 'take the capabilities of our power grid to the next level and ensure that our electricity infrastructure is ready for the future'', Mr Wong said.

Marine Parade resident Eng Boon Heng, 34, a bank executive who saved about $30 from taking part in the trial, said: 'The smart-grid system is very useful. It makes me aware of how much electricity I'm using and, because of that, I make an effort to save.''

For more my paper stories click here.