Allow the power co to control your thermostat ?

**Justin Case** · 04-23-2010, 09:27 AM

SNIP,

Would you let your electric company take control of your air-conditioner if it saved you money?

Arizona Public Service Co. will try to answer that question with a test project that will put customers' thermostats into the utility's hands.

The plan is one of several energy-saving strategies APS and other utilities are rolling out across the country to reduce peak energy demand, when utilities have to fire up extra power plants to supply electricity to customers.

By offering lower bills, utilities hope to entice enough customers into energy-saving programs to significantly reduce power demand.

APS is seeking ways to be more efficient during the hottest days of summer, when surges in demand from air-conditioners put the biggest strain on the power grid, stretch plants to production capacity and pose a threat of power disruptions.

If regulators approve the plan, APS will invite about 300 customers to volunteer in the air-conditioning load-control test and other pilot projects starting in fall 2010.

During hot afternoons the following summer, or when there is a problem on the power grid such as a downed transmission line, APS will be able to turn up their thermostats remotely or run their air-conditioners in 20-minute intervals, alternating with other people on the plan.

Alternating when air-conditioners run ensures that not every unit is running at once, reducing the peak demand.

MORE
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepu...ditioning.html

**Winnie** · 04-23-2010, 09:53 AM

Hmmm sounds like a good idea on paper....BUT I wouldn't want to hand control of my heating/cooling system to anyone. I like to be in control. After all, I pay enough for my energy, I like to use it how I wish, not how they(the power companies) want me to.

**Justin Case** · 04-23-2010, 09:56 AM

It gets 120 degrees here, The last thing I want is somebody turning off the AC ,,, LOL

**Rick** · 04-23-2010, 12:54 PM

The local power company has championed this for a couple of years now (Duke Energy). They turn down the AC in the afternoon and then back on just before you get home of an evening. That's great if you're gone but I'm here all the time. No Thanks.

**Camp10** · 04-23-2010, 07:04 PM

The company I work for tried this with hot water heaters back in the 70's and 80's. It didnt work. Perhaps the technology can make it a better system now but from my perspective, anything that is taken out of your control and given to someone....like me is a bad move for you!!

The system here was designed to have a seperate monitoring device (that looks like a seperate meter) that would recieve a signal from the lines. This was done at off peak times and would both reduce the load to the system and would keep the heater from maintaining hot water when it "didnt need to".

I would guess that the a/c system is a newer but similar version of this. The problem seemed to be the device in the substations would not communicate with the device on the house end. I really dont remember much about them or the results of the miscommunication between devices because they were removing them shortly after I came to the company.