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TXU Energy introduced on Wednesday a new product that will alert customers during the course of the month if their electricity bill is headed over budget.

The emailed budget alerts warn customers when their electricity usage hits a point that is likely to result in a bill that is higher than a particular spending threshold. Customers can set their own bill thresholds, and TXU doesn't charge its customers for the service.

The idea is that the customer gets a warning in time to slow down household electricity usage before the billing cycle ends.

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Proponents of net metering report sending 60,000 emails to the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) urging it to increase the amount of solar photovoltaic (PV) generation which can participate in the state's policy, by challenging current utility practice in calculating the state net metering cap.

The CPUC has indicated in a preliminary ruling that utilities are using an overly restrictive approach to calculating this cap, and on May 24th, 2012 the agency will vote on this proposal. The Vote Solar Initiative warns that under current policy, the cap could be reached as early as mid-2013.

"When we crafted California’s original net metering law, the goal was maximize the amount of clean distributed energy on the grid," said former Assemblyman Fred Keeley, author of California’s net metering law.

"By proposing this methodology, the CPUC is complying with the original legislative intent and helping California lead the way toward a clean energy economy."

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IntelliGen Power, a leader in distributed power projects, is announcing today their availability to provide free assistance to businesses and municipalities seeking funding through the New Jersey Clean Energy Solutions Large Scale CHP (LSCHP) Program.

“This program is a great opportunity for businesses to get free money to pay for their CHP systems,” said David Lesser, President of IntelliGen Power. “The utility rates in New Jersey already make cogeneration a very appealing solution for energy users looking to save money, and support from this program drives down the cost even more. Even without this funding, cogeneration projects in New Jersey typically pay for themselves in less than 5 years.”

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"The Morning Briefing" is SmartPlanet's daily roundup of must-reads from the web. This morning we're reading about LED technology and innovative use.

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