Comments on: Smart power usage could save $120 billion

By: ECA

ECA — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 06:03:57 +0000

Want to save MORE then 10%…
Lower prices on Energy Efficient Products.
Like your Water heater, Stove, frig, and HOME HEATERS.
Replacing THESE, would cost you a small fortune. But would probably save about 25% on ALL the OLD ones used by the poor.

By: dcseward

dcseward — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 05:02:57 +0000

This is coming sooner than you think. Southern California Edison just announced enabling their electric meters with a wireless technology called ZigBee. Over the next four years, 5.3 million houses will have this capability, and there are several other utilities that are looking at doing this.

Of course, then it is up to the users to buy equipment to plug into this new network. But because many of the utilities are looking at using the same technology, the economies of scale should drive the costs down pretty low.

By: OmegaMan

OmegaMan — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 04:48:28 +0000

If one read the pdf, the device(s) was installed on dryers and hot water heaters, both electric. I wouldn’t save next to nothing with anything with the device because I only run my dryer on the weekends and have gas water heater….

By: MikeN

MikeN — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 03:33:03 +0000

Government inspects your hard drive? no!
Monitors your travel? NO!
Listens to phone calls? NO!
Shuts off your heat when it feels like it? Yahoo!

By: tallwookie

tallwookie — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 03:20:42 +0000

10% savings??! wtf thats like $3/mo and under $40 per year for me.

Im not gonna install some device just to save 40 bucks.

Suck it you enviromentalists

By: franko353

franko353 — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 22:35:33 +0000

Bowling Green, OH started doing this back in the late 90′s on the outside AC heat exchangers. They have the ability when demand is high to turn off your compressor for 5 mins at a time. They do this in cycles to cut demand across all homes.

By: god

god — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:50:11 +0000

And the obvious anti-christian, electricity-centric bias of the editors is clear in their choice of an illustration. Should be an image (photo?) of yahweh leaning down from the clouds pointing out the savings – which should be turned over to the mother church as a tithe.

By: Angel H. Wong

Angel H. Wong — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 20:54:39 +0000

Lost cause, the people who listen to their iPod, watch the TV + surf the net are not exactly going to listen.

Plus the Teen shows display things like energy saving + the environment as a loser kid thing.

By: the answer

the answer — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 20:24:00 +0000

And yet a simple map of their circuit breaker system can help you turn off your heater in the summer, your hot water heater ( if it is tank style and not on demand ) when your asleep or at work. And other simple tricks like that. It’s nice to have a $17 dollar electric bill.

By: MikeN

MikeN — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 20:03:13 +0000

Having a screen that tells you the current price helps. Then devices that can be programmed accordingly also helps.

Having the power company turn off your thermostat doesn’t help, but that’s how lefties operate.

By the way, what’s wrong with an electric space heater. I thought these saved energy, heating a small room instead of the whole house?

By: MikeN

MikeN — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 20:01:42 +0000

Getting closer to how the oil companies operate. You see exactly what price you’re paying when you fill up, and not two months later mixed in as a bundle.

By: DaveW

DaveW — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:34:31 +0000

I don’t have air conditioning in my home, mostly because I refuse to live where it is needed. But if I did live in most places in the USA, the last thing I would permit is to have some outside party regulating my thermostat!

Hot running water and air conditioning are the two things that separate us from the apes! (Oh, and wall to wall carpeting).

By: ECA

ECA — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:21:26 +0000

1. so i save $5-6 per month.
2. the Electric company GETS Pre-PAID that difference for the next few years(you paid for it with the device)
3. CEO and board members are getting Less money, so they raise the cost 10%.

WHERES THE SAVINGS??

By: Cursor_

Cursor_ — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:19:35 +0000

Let me tell you about my water bill.

Some three years ago the water company stated that we needed to put flow control systems on the toilet. A ready made kit for 25 bucks they will send to us, or a brick. Well I went brick thanks.

The idea is that we would use less water and therefore save on our bill.

Well I saved money for 6 months. Not a lot but better than nothing. Then low and behold the water company made a deal with the county. They said because water usage was down, they were not making as much money to keep people employed or systems up to date on water handling, cleanliness and conservation projects.

So the county allowed them to raise the water rates for usage enough to offset the money lost from not as much demand.

So the untility got us to save water only to hike the prices up.

And this is what will happen as the mandates go through to save energy and probably already has in some areas of the country.

We will save, they won’t make as much, they will whine that they cannot keep staff, trucks and other infrastructure and ask for rate hikes to offset. While their comoany heads and stockholders take home record profits.

Cursor_

By: qsabe

qsabe — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:00:54 +0000

When my new AC unit was installed, I could buy electricity at a cheaper KWH rate with a separate meter where they could turn it off at peak usage times.
Then the electric companies were deregulated, so now I pay for electricity and for delivery. The cheaper rate was for electricity, not delivery. Recently when the electrical feeds were moved, I discovered when the monthly cost to have the second meter was figured in it was costing me about 12 bucks a month to save money. It was removed.
Like most good ideas, they are only good until someone figures out a way to screw you out of what your trying to keep.