Those who want to see what the US could look like in a future where smart grid is widely deployed should start with nearby neighbor Ontario, says technology and communications firm Trilliant.

Facing widespread retirements of power plants that would limit electric supply availability, the Canadian province, home to several of the country’s largest cities, abandoned the opt-in model popular among US utilities and required the installation of smart meters to facilitate time-of-use electricity pricing. Prices now rise and fall with demand at the domestic level, and smart meters, more than a million of them deployed by Trilliant customer Hydro One to date, allow customers to see those prices and react to conserve energy. Keep reading →