California Feels the Heat on Thermostats
Do you want your electric utility to be able to turn off your air conditioner in mid-summer without your consent?
After over a year of barreling forward
toward requirements for programmable communicating thermostats (PCTs)
to be installed in new homes starting next year, the California Energy
Commission has decided wisely to step back and take a closer look at
the implications. As envisioned by the CEC and California utilities,
PCTs would help reduce demand during peak periods.
Sacramento's drive for PCTs is
not over, it's only been slowed a bit. But we can also expect that any
final decision from the CEC will require PCTs to include a "consumer
override" option. This will get closer to NEMA's vision of the Smart Grid, where consumers will have "the choice and flexibility to manage their electrical use while minimizing costs."
Posted
01-24-2008 12:30 PM
by
Updyke, Craig