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> Still can’t find a “smart fridge” that runs in ultra-chill mode when rates are cheap and backs off when they’re high. Kinda antithetical to use more electrici
by 01HNNWZ0MV43FF 2y ago
> Still can’t find a “smart fridge” that runs in ultra-chill mode when rates are cheap and backs off when they’re high. Kinda antithetical to use more electricity to save but it’s true.
It makes sense if you think of the thermal mass as a battery. Technology connections says he does that with his air conditioner, runs it hard overnight so it stays cold longer with less effort during the day
- bcrosby95 2y agoIt being cold also tends to help with better sleep. We set our AC to 76 during most of the day, 80 during on-peak pricing, and 72 overnight.
- marcosdumay 2y ago> runs it hard overnight so it stays cold longer with less effort during the day Shouldn't it be the other way around? The days when electricity was cheaper at night are long gone.
- formerly_proven 2y agoHeat pumps are more efficient the smaller the temperature gradient is.
- bronson 2y agoHeat pumps use less energy when there's a small temperature gradient (assuming a good turndown ratio, cheap ones aren't so good), but they're more efficient when there's a large gradient. That's why they require careful modeling before being used for hydronic heating.
- j45 2y agoHeat pumps are improving to work in wider temperature ranges.
- rootusrootus 2y ago> The days when electricity was cheaper at night are long gone. That must be a regional thing. In the PNW, my power rate during most of the day is twice what it is at night, and during the evening peak it doubles again.
- lotsofpulp 2y agoAlso in PNW, and the price for my electricity does not change during a day.
- Scoundreller 2y agoIt’s still the case in Canada because our peak electricity usage is driven by summer daytime aircon and solar is a small percentage of generation. Heating is still primarily fossil fuel, for now. Night time loads are generally low with big baseload hydro and nuclear generation in the more populated states/provinces.
- infecto 2y agoIn what markets? In most/all of the markets I can think of, night time rates are still cheaper. Even in markets with large Solar installations (CA, USA) peak rates are still during the day.
- toast0 2y agotake a look at southern california edison's time of use rates. Summer day and night are the same price, but afternoon/evening 4-9pm are more expensive or you can opt for 5-8pm way more expensive. In the Winter though, energy is cheaper starting at 8am, when the sun is out. Still more expensive from 4-9/5-8 https://www.sce.com/residential/rates/Time-Of-Use-Residential-Rate-Plans https://www.sce.com/residential/rates/Time-Of-Use-Residentia...
- throwup238 2y ago> Shouldn't it be the other way around? The days when electricity was cheaper at night are long gone. Are they? Here in California most energy companies offer plans with much cheaper rates overnight for EV charging (i.e. $0.15 vs $0.45-$0.90 peak during the day). Commercial and industrial customers account for two thirds of power consumption so there's a lot of surplus generation at night. Lots of industrial users have agreements where the power company can signal them to soak up surplus power but that's also less effective at night when wind picks up.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- squeaky-clean 2y ago2-4pm for me is about 6x the price of 2-4am. NYC.
- snthd 2y agohttps://fridge0.branchable.com/thermal_mass/ https://fridge0.branchable.com/thermal_mass/