On Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:05:05 +0100, Nils Holland wrote:
Oh, well, I guess they "think" they have a solution to that problem:
Not only the power grid is supposed to "go smart", but also the
appliances connected to it. So, prepare your washing machine,
dishwasher or whatever, and have it start up automatically,
grid-controlled, when rates are the low - probably even automatically
when rates have fallen below a threshold you have set yourself.

I remember my parents used to have their old "electro-mechanical" washer
on a timer so it'd come on at night when the rates were lower. Then they
replaced it a few years ago with an expensive new all-electronic one -
which would just sit there dumbly when the power came on...

In practice - well, I wouldn't really want my washing machine to
automatically go off at 3 am when I'm trying to sleep a few rooms down
the hallway, just because electricity may be cheapest at 3 am...

That is the downside, yes (my parents' one was in a utility room right at
the opposite corner of the house from where they slept)

cheers

Jules