The two of you are just rabid environmentalists? well, not exactly. we are conservative republican. but, you know, our duty to our rate pairs is to provide them with the lowest possible utility cost. and money talks. steve: well, al, you are absolutely right. money talks to the tune of nearly $30 million a year which is what the city of georgetown lost when they realized they could not rely on wind for power. that s more than $1,200 per household over four years. chuck devore is vice president of public policy foundation joins us now from austin. the idea was oh we got a lot of sun here, we have a little wind. we will be completely sustainable. but then, suddenly energy got cheap in this country and now the people of georgetown, texas are on the hook and they have to pay a lot more than everybody else in texas. that s right. steve, let s look at two things.
Bench for arguments. those are the top stories for now. new crop of energy efficient buildings popping up in unexpected places. once seemed the trend was exclusive to commercial properties. buildings that recently went green include a college frat house at georgia tech and gas stations, fast food restaurant and prison. the big reason for the trend, lower utility cost for alternative heating and cooling sources including solar power. as americans look to save money in the current economic climate. many of us may not realize there are ways to save energy in the home. proposed smart grid power system allows consumers to lower their utility cost. why isn t everyone on board? paul malitore is the senior industry at an electrical manufacturering group. and joins us to explain it. hi, paul. thank you for having me. shannon: what is a smart grid? how does it work? what is going to happen is smart grid is going to be like the grid we are looking at today. but we re overlaying