On 09/02/2021 18:30, Tim+ wrote:
Max Demian wrote:
On 09/02/2021 16:37, Tim+ wrote:
Max Demian wrote:
On 09/02/2021 12:37, Theo wrote:
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.

What if the freezer doesn't turn back on again and you come back from
holiday to soggy food?

Why wouldnt it? Have you ever come across a freezer that couldnt be
turned on and off at the wall?

I haven't tried turning it off and on every day. Machines fail. If it
failed to turn back on, I would accept that it's my fault; if someone
else did it, I would say it was theirs.

What do you think your thermostat does? It turns it on and off regularly.

Many (most?) fridges and freezers these days are electronically
controlled and the power to the electronics is not normally switched on
and off. I would not expect a problem doing so, but there is probably
some slight risk of repeated cycling increasing the failure rate.