2 ms·

Even lower hanging fruit would be increasing the dispatchability of demand in homes. Simply allowing heating and cooling to be dispatched would be very helpful

Even lower hanging fruit would be increasing the dispatchability of demand in homes. Simply allowing heating and cooling to be dispatched would be very helpful. In the past this was done with bespoke add-ons to furnaces and AC compressors, but now it's done with smart thermostats.

smileysteve 2y ago
Dispatched versus random dither are similar; For most smart thermostats, one of the lesser known quality improvements is the 5 minute + dither time for startup. This is designed for compressor health - but prevents repeat cascading brownouts - where programmable thermostats or manual thermostats would have either a strict 5 minute wait time or none at all. Other features like time of use, humidity correction, and fan circulation also drastically reduce energy usage.
- hedora 2y ago
  Our thermostat seems to apply the delay even when you manually turn it on. It drives me nuts. (After a power failure or during scheduled transitions make sense; after I push the button: not so much.)
immibis 2y ago
ISTR they did this somewhere (getting a discount on power in return for letting them decrease your cooling remotely at peak times) and the political right threw a national hissyfit.
- pfdietz 2y ago
  I signed up for this in Illinois and never heard a single peep of complaint about it (nor did I ever notice it when it kicked in.)
Workaccount2 2y ago
If you don't have a smart thermostat, check whoever your utility is for discounts. I got a 50% discount buying it through them.
- op00to 2y ago
  My utility keeps sending me google thermostats for free despite having ecobee. I keep giving them away but they keep sending them!
szvsw 2y ago
Heating and cooling would be massive. Another one is dishwashers (eh) but also laundry machines (washers and dryers/hot water heaters). Pushing those to random overnight spacing or preferably midday can help at least a bit.

smileysteve 2y ago

Dispatched versus random dither are similar; For most smart thermostats, one of the lesser known quality improvements is the 5 minute + dither time for startup. This is designed for compressor health - but prevents repeat cascading brownouts - where programmable thermostats or manual thermostats would have either a strict 5 minute wait time or none at all. Other features like time of use, humidity correction, and fan circulation also drastically reduce energy usage.

hedora 2y ago
Our thermostat seems to apply the delay even when you manually turn it on. It drives me nuts. (After a power failure or during scheduled transitions make sense; after I push the button: not so much.)

immibis 2y ago

ISTR they did this somewhere (getting a discount on power in return for letting them decrease your cooling remotely at peak times) and the political right threw a national hissyfit.

pfdietz 2y ago
I signed up for this in Illinois and never heard a single peep of complaint about it (nor did I ever notice it when it kicked in.)

Workaccount2 2y ago

If you don't have a smart thermostat, check whoever your utility is for discounts. I got a 50% discount buying it through them.

op00to 2y ago
My utility keeps sending me google thermostats for free despite having ecobee. I keep giving them away but they keep sending them!

szvsw 2y ago

Heating and cooling would be massive. Another one is dishwashers (eh) but also laundry machines (washers and dryers/hot water heaters). Pushing those to random overnight spacing or preferably midday can help at least a bit.