What is Digg?27 Comments
- veloscaper, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9Psst, it will always be cheaper to wait until off-peak times.
- Saintlink, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Interesting concept, let's just hope clothes don't get moldy if they wait too long. Mildew is a bad thing.
- xgravix, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9The same energy companies that beg people to conserve so customers don't have to endure rolling brownouts... right...
- frantici, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Wouldn't thousands upon thousands of appliances checking for off-peak times maybe make the off-peak time to a peak time ?
- Cybert, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7All this energy spent on asceticism is wasted. Build nuke plants. Research fusion. Transcend humanity (makes the first two quite easy).
- Orbatos, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5Threshhold would obviously need tweaking.
- gadgetuk, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5I thought the rolling brownouts were artificially created to squeeze more money out of the customers? That may be an isolated Enron case though. Are there other places in the US that suffer genuine energy shortages?
- YossarianDent, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3No way, because someone in the energy industry knowing when my clothes are drying is just as much an invasion of privacy as the NSA knowing when and to whom I make phone calls! It won't be long before they know whether I'm doing a load of whites or colors, then they'll use that information to discriminate against me based on...wait...
Sorry - the whole irony angle is a decent attempt at a joke, but it just doesn't wash here. (Get it? Wash? Oh, I kill me.) - MikeHinds, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Are the people fvoring this the same ones that don't want the NSA tracking the source, destination, and length of phone conversations?
- ReinMasamuri, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Can you imagine the Liberals demanding that the energy companies have control of when these appliances can be turned on or off for the "good of the people"?
- unidentified, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2If it can connect to the internet it would be possible to perform updates, once everyone is using one of these machines they could update the firmware and use a time approptiate via a new server. The company could just set up a huge database and even out the load throughout the states. Considering we have different time zones, it shouldn't be too much of a problem.
- bballguy2757, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1p2p energy yeeuh.
- Bhima, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Yes but given a moderate amount of intelligence power usage would be evened out of the whole of the 24 hours of the day.
This isn't much more intelligence than that of a roach.
Having said that it could well be beyond what the US electrical infrastructure is capable of. - Dhalgren, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1This will be great until our appliances start getting viruses and whatnot. Your washer will spin out of control, your fridge will turn into a humidor, and independantly climate controlled rooms will convert your house into a mini biosphere.
- VeganG, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Smart houses!
"General Electric develops air conditioner that tells you to GETTTTT OUUUUUTT" - MatttK, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Yeah, that's what I was thinking.. I mean... wow... talk about lazy. It isn't hard to do things at off-peak hours on your own. Make them your regular washing hours and you're set.
- ReinMasamuri, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Or pollution
- spydrlink, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You know, I was just going to say the same thing. If this every comes to reality, off-peak times will become peak-times...but peak-times will continue to remain since most of America will still continue to use the "then" old-fashioned dryers, water heaters, etc. It's a great concept, but it would be interesting to see what happens when more and more jump on the off-peak hours.
- algorythm, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1They must have special electric meters too. They just read the amount of added kilowatt hours used. I wouldn't see how they could differentiate when it was used and calculate rates.
Another thing that wouldn't make sense would be the cost of those appliances must be much higher than regular ones, making the cost savings irrelevant. I guess its like the hype of the hybrid car though... - PumpkinEscobar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I have a timer on my water heater that only allows it to run when I want it to. Currently it runs from 5AM-8AM and can be turned on manually when necessary. One time cost for the timer has paid for itself many times over. A/C thermometers with timers can save you as well.
- kinwow, on 09/17/2008, -0/+0why worry about peak and off peak times when you can burn as much electricity as you want because you made it for nothing. I caught this concept while surfing for wind & solar power conversion kits and found www.beatingenergycosts.com it was interesting needless to say....
- thund3rstruck, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1If everyone's machine did this wouldn't that make non-peak hours become peak hours?
- MatttK, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1No but I can imagine the Bush Administration doing it and somehow claiming it is fightin' terr'ism.
- kazem, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2The brownouts in California, back in the summer of 2000, were artificially created by major power companies that had recently been deregulated. By deregulated I mean they were not state controlled and became private enterprises. They almost immediately became corrupt and caused this rolling brownout phenomenon. They lost a major lawsuit and were fined hundreds of millions as a result. So no, they do ask you to conserve energy, but not for those reasons. Don't be so naive.
- abbott75, on 10/12/2007, -8/+4Money. The Government-owned energy companies wouldn't allow this because they will not make as much money.
- perryb, on 10/12/2007, -4/+0Where's Starship Troopers? Perhaps not that innnovative but the CGI was pretty slick for '97.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -10/+1there will be side affects
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