Max Demian wrote:
The kind of device suitable for switching off to balance load would be
an EV charger and a heat pump, both of which will need new wiring back
to the consumer unit. The only other kind I can think of would be an
immersion heater. And perhaps the off-peak circuit if there are storage
heaters; but these are on a separate circuit anyway and probably won't
need switching off as they are on at, um, off-peak times.

I'm thinking of things like refrigeration - there's enough thermal mass in
the fridge/freezer that it'll hold temperature for several hours if the door
isn't opened. So you can tell it not to run the compressor during peak
demand, as long as the temperature stays within acceptable limits. Over the
fleet of millions of fridges, that adds up. I think supermarkets with their
substantial chiller fleets are already doing this.

Adding a Zigbee module to talk to the smart meter would be a few dollars
at manufacture time. Give owners a few quid off their electricity bills
for enrolling and everyone is happy.

Theo