[LINK] NBN Smart Off Peak Appliances Needed

[Richard Chirgwin]

Tom,

Since the "it's time for offpeak" message is still a very simple signal 
to send, why bother with the Internet?

Your scheme could simply use the same signal, with intelligence either 
in the device or in a home unit to respond appropriately...

Cheers,
Richard

On 12/08/12 9:19 AM, Tom Worthington wrote:
> The Resources and Energy Minister, Martin Ferguson, is reported to have
> proposed households receive discounts on their electricity bills for
> reducing consumption during annual peaks ("Low-energy households should
> be rewarded", AAP, Trading Room, August 10 2012, 6:10PM):
> http://www.tradingroom.com.au/apps/view_breaking_news_article.ac?page=/data/news_research/published/2012/8/223/catf_120810_181000_0600.html
>
> He pointed out that 25% of the retail power cost was to cover 40 hours
> of peak use a year. Giving consumers an incentive to reduce use during
> those 40 hours would reduce the need for infrastructure which remains
> idle the rest of the time.
>
> Giving consumers an incentive to manually switch off to save money has
> not worked in the past and there is no reason to think it will work now.
> What has worked is a discount for appliances which automatically switch
> off at peak times (called "demand response"). Off peak hot water systems
> have been in use for decades. I suggest this technique be applied to air
> conditioners and space heaters.
>
> I suggest that large energy consuming "dumb" air conditioners and
> heaters be banned, under existing legislation which regulates the
> importation and sale of electrical devices. Air conditioners and heaters
> would be required to have a low power mode which can be switched on
> remotely at times of peak demand, with no action required by the consumer.
>
> Such a ban would not effect the sale of small air conditioners and
> heaters which plug into an ordinary power point, only larger units which
> have to be directly wired into the household electricity supply. The
> large units would not switch off completely during peak periods, but go
> a low power setting where they consume only as much power as a plug-in
> unit (2400 Watt). The fans of the air conditioner/heater would continue
> to operate for the few minutes it was in low power mode and it is likely
> that the householder would not notice the difference. In a prolonged
> peak, a smart unit could be programmed to direct all the cooling or
> heating to one priority room of the house.
>
> With old off peak systems, the signal to hot water systems was sent out
> over the power lines. For a modern system the Internet could be used.
> This need not use the NBN, but the Government might find it useful to
> promote the NBN as an energy saving tool.
>
> More at:
> http://blog.tomw.net.au/2012/08/smart-off-peak-appliances-needed.html
>
>