In article , D Yuniskis wrote:
Sylvia Else wrote:
D Yuniskis wrote:
Sylvia Else wrote:
Dave M wrote:

Starting about 25 years ago, the local power company started a
program whereby they installed these boxes to home AC units and
electric water heaters, supposedly to reduce peak demand on the grid
in times of high demand.

Wonderful idea. If the AC units are creating an excessive load, just
turn them off remotely. Beats investing in grid infrastructure.

The problem is getting people to buy into this idea. It
usually is under a different tariff than "normal service".
And, utilities often don't price those tariffs rationally.
People are hesitant to let someone else turn off a "comfort
feature" if they aren't getting something "significant" for
their potential inconvenience [1]

There's not much point in having a comfort feature if it's likely to get
turned off at the time of greatest need.

It's not "turned off", per se. Rather, it is *deferred*.
I.e., maybe 10 minutes later your ACbrrr will kick in
instead of at the (slightly) earlier time when the
thermostat called for cooling.

I don't know how the things work, but it could be possible in the event of complete
power failure, to do progressive start ups. Starting all the refridgerators
is bad enough. You might even try to control whose air is on and
whos is off, so all on is not a possibility.

Heat will damage electronics. UV protection will be providd by
any material preferably tinted.

greg