More Michiganders living greener, counting kilowatts

• An increasing number business owners and and residents want to be greener
• DTE Energy launched a mobile app that allows customers to track their energy
• Michigan households annually use 123 million BTUs of energy per home

Natalie Molnar, the sustainability coordinator for Lansing, is noticing an increasing number of inquiries from business owners and residents who want be greener.

They're recycling, insulating and buying more efficient appliances. They're counting kilowatts and cutting carbon emissions. They're seeking to take advantage of incentives, such as rebates and tax breaks, from the government and utility companies.

What's motivating them?

"It depends on the generation," Molnar, 32, said. "The younger people seem to have more of a sense that the environment could use the help. For the older generation, it comes down to things they can do to save some money."

Molnar — who, with her 12-year-old daughter, also is trying to do her part for the environment — said communities like Lansing want to encourage and market sustainable programs and sustainable living as more folks take an interest.

This summer, DTE Energy launched a free mobile app, Insight, that allows about 1.5-million electric customers with smart meters to track their energy usage in real time and make their homes more efficient. The app also is designed to help homeowners set and met energy-saving goals and offer energy-saving tips.

The utility expects to be able to serve up to 3-million customers with the app by the end of 2017 as it installs more smart meters, devices that send usage data to the power company through radio frequency waves like a cell phone would.

"Our customers are increasingly aware of how their energy usage affects them," said DTE Energy spokesman Scott Simons, pointing out how technology is helping track how much energy is being used and how to save money. "We want to keep rates affordable."

Some customers, however, have objected to the smart meters because they have privacy concerns and worry exposure to radio frequency waves affects their health.

Michigan households annually use 123 million BTUs of energy per home, about 38% more than the U.S. average, and spend about 6%, or $2,148, more, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

At the same time, because Michigan's summers are cooler and homeowners rely more on natural gas than electricity to heat their homes, the electricity consumption — and cost — per home is less than the national average, 8,695 kilowatts per home compared to 11,320 kilowatts.

DTE said it was the first utility in the nation to offer such an app. Other power companies, including Consumers Energy in Jackson, are developing similar apps.

Matthew Naud said he downloaded DTE's Insight app a few months ago and has been using it to monitor energy usage in his Ann Arbor home, which he shares with his wife and teenage daughter.

"I find myself looking at it. 'There's the coffee maker going off,' " he said, pointing out how the energy level spikes when appliances are on. "The thing with real time information is I can shut off the lights and see it drop."

He estimated homeowners can cut energy bills by 10% just by using the app.

Naud, who is Ann Arbor's environmental coordinator, said that in addition to counting kilowatts, he has taken other steps to be more energy efficient, including: changing the light bulbs, buying a new furnace and putting in a programmable thermostat.

Many people, he said, want to do more to be greener. But, sometimes, it takes more than a will to do so. It requires time and money, and that's one reason why utilities and governments are offering incentives.

Molnar said she'd like a front-load washer, which is more energy efficient. But, for now, she said she can't afford one and will make do with her top-loader. She also wants to add more insulation to her home, to make it cozier and cut her heating bills.

"It's an old home," she said. "It's something I plan to do before winter. I need to."

Contact Frank Witsil: 313-222-5022 or fwitsil@freepress.com.

Michiganders use more total energy per household than the national average, but less electricity. Homeowners largely rely on natural gas to heat homes in the winter, pushing up the relative per home energy usage figure. State law requires utilities to produce at least 15% of all electricity from renewable source, such as wind and solar, by 2015.