Reviews:
 ·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to Bob
Re: Stupidest story of the year said by Bob:My 6 kW air-conditioner runs when I'm not home, and is sometimes not running when I am home. So the data is useless. Not only that, but all "vampire" devices will cause a continuous draw. Refrigerators turn on and off. One simply can't tell the difference between a place where owners are at home and a place where they aren't from the average use in 3-5 min intervals.
Those who are in "business" use a different approach: they call the phone that many still have. Reverse search is easy... Or they watch the lights. Automated timers can help a bit but not everywhere. They look for mail piling, garbage cans not being present on the collection day or being brought before the collection day (sign that they won't be home). |
|
 RickNYPremium
join:2000-11-02
Manorville, NY | said by cowboyro:One simply can't tell the difference between a place where owners are at home and a place where they aren't from the average use in 3-5 min intervals. Don't be so sure... The regular spikes are the fridge cycling.. Can you tell when I was home and when I wasn't? |
|
Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
| said by RickNY:said by cowboyro:One simply can't tell the difference between a place where owners are at home and a place where they aren't from the average use in 3-5 min intervals. Don't be so sure... The regular spikes are the fridge cycling.. Can you tell when I was home and when I wasn't? No... There are many things that can produce such a pattern. Hot tub, electric water heater, HVAC blower, radiant floor heater... |
|
Reviews:
 ·Frontier Communi..
| All of the items you just listed would account for more than 200 watts of increased draw. 200 watts is about right for the lighting/tv/PC monitors/etc that would come on when someone is home.
I have my own issues with smart meters, specifically the fact that they give the electric company too much information about me, and will doubtless eventually be used by them and/or the nanny state to raise rates in a misguided attempt to modify my behavior. Dial meters and/or simple digital ones (e.g., ones with remote read functionality but without demand billing/logging features) are preferable. Residential usage is predictable and easy to plan for, there is no reason why my utility needs to track my demand in five minute intervals. There is no reason why they need to know which appliances I have hooked up or how I use them. Bill me per kWh, plus a base fee for the meter, and leave me the hell alone. |
|
|
|
| reply to cowboyro
said by cowboyro:said by RickNY:said by cowboyro:One simply can't tell the difference between a place where owners are at home and a place where they aren't from the average use in 3-5 min intervals. Don't be so sure... The regular spikes are the fridge cycling.. Can you tell when I was home and when I wasn't? No... There are many things that can produce such a pattern. Hot tub, electric water heater, HVAC blower, radiant floor heater... Or you could be like me and have numerous computer devices running when you are not home; i.e.: the x86 pfsense box in my basement, the custom built dual qam, dual ota tuner media center (connected to a hava box and Dish ViP722), the file server with multiple hdds...
Then there is the water heater and heat that runs off the oil burner...
Eh, this doesn't seem practical. |
|
BobAccount deleted
join:2012-07-22
New Jersey Reviews:
 ·Optimum Online
| reply to Crookshanks
said by Crookshanks:there is no reason why my utility needs to track my demand in five minute intervals. Two words: Outage detection. |
|
Reviews:
·Frontier Communi..
| Two problems:
1) Outage detection has been done at the substation level for decades and does not require smart meters at every residence.
2) Outage detection on a per-residence basis does not imply a need to track demand. A simple ping would suffice. |
|
Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
| said by Crookshanks: Outage detection on a per-residence basis does not imply a need to track demand. A simple ping would suffice. It's not only outage detection. It's also determining abnormal dangerous conditions in real-time. Ex a leg gone, overvoltage or undervoltage caused by a failing transformer or connection... |
|
BobAccount deleted
join:2012-07-22
New Jersey | reply to Crookshanks
If a tree falls or a transformer goes and takes out 3 customers, the power company will know about it immediately. |
|
 MajestikWorld TravelerPremium
join:2001-05-11
Tulsa, OK
1 edit | reply to RickNY
said by RickNY:said by cowboyro:One simply can't tell the difference between a place where owners are at home and a place where they aren't from the average use in 3-5 min intervals. Don't be so sure... The regular spikes are the fridge cycling.. Can you tell when I was home and when I wasn't? I control items in my home remotely like DVR/tuner,computer,Slingbox,heat and air,security system,indoor/outdoor lights,and surveillance cameras from my phone or iPad from anywhere in the world.
Then throw in the gate entry/security personnel on the property just to get to my home.
There are times when I probably use even less electricity when at home than not at home in the spring and fall or when working 12 hours a day 7 days a week.
--
The adventure continues...Sanctuary.... |
|
 skeechanAi OtsukaholicPremium
join:2012-01-26
AA169|170
kudos:2 | reply to Bob
Two words: DEMAND CHARGE
Gouge customers for peak demand. |
|
