Comments on: Conservation On Auto-Pilot http://earth2tech.com/2008/04/20/conservation-on-auto-pilot/ Helping the Earth with Technology Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:52:36 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: extended weather forecasts http://earth2tech.com/2008/04/20/conservation-on-auto-pilot/#comment-10764 extended weather forecasts Thu, 24 Apr 2008 10:21:19 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=1930#comment-10764 <p>[...] Francisco home in San Francisco with a 2.5kW net metered solar array. If you live in San Francischttp://earth2tech.com/2008/04/20/conservation-on-auto-pilot/CBOT Corn Outlook: Up 3-6 Cents On Spec Strength, Forecasts INO NewsChicago Board of Trade corn [...]</p> [...] Francisco home in San Francisco with a 2.5kW net metered solar array. If you live in San Francischttp://earth2tech.com/2008/04/20/conservation-on-auto-pilot/CBOT Corn Outlook: Up 3-6 Cents On Spec Strength, Forecasts INO NewsChicago Board of Trade corn [...]

]]> By: GigaOM Goes Green for Earth Day - GigaOM http://earth2tech.com/2008/04/20/conservation-on-auto-pilot/#comment-10601 GigaOM Goes Green for Earth Day - GigaOM Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:30:21 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=1930#comment-10601 <p>[...] Where’s All the Wifi-Embedded Smart Thermostats? [...]</p> [...] Where’s All the Wifi-Embedded Smart Thermostats? [...]

]]> By: 42Cliff http://earth2tech.com/2008/04/20/conservation-on-auto-pilot/#comment-10598 42Cliff Tue, 22 Apr 2008 17:10:28 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=1930#comment-10598 <p>this sounds like it would have tons of possibilities for hackers/ prankers</p> this sounds like it would have tons of possibilities for hackers/ prankers

]]> By: Buck Smith http://earth2tech.com/2008/04/20/conservation-on-auto-pilot/#comment-10559 Buck Smith Mon, 21 Apr 2008 21:06:05 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=1930#comment-10559 <p>I very much agree with Brian's general take on this but am confused why WiFi has to play such a large role? Is that because it's a more common denominator than protocols like Z-Wave and, therefore, more accessible in a DIY fashion?</p> <p>My company currently provides much of the feature set Brian describes above and, for some commercial customers, we're seeing electricity consumption reductions of up to 20%.</p> I very much agree with Brian’s general take on this but am confused why WiFi has to play such a large role? Is that because it’s a more common denominator than protocols like Z-Wave and, therefore, more accessible in a DIY fashion?

My company currently provides much of the feature set Brian describes above and, for some commercial customers, we’re seeing electricity consumption reductions of up to 20%.

]]> By: Connecting Tomorrow : Insight into ideas driving the connected future from Horner Networks » Blog Archive » Smart Thermostats Are Dumb http://earth2tech.com/2008/04/20/conservation-on-auto-pilot/#comment-10554 Connecting Tomorrow : Insight into ideas driving the connected future from Horner Networks » Blog Archive » Smart Thermostats Are Dumb Mon, 21 Apr 2008 18:59:46 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=1930#comment-10554 <p>[...] thermostat shouldn’t be independent.  Brian McConnell suggests making thermostats a piece of Wi-Fi equipment that could hook into your home network with [...]</p> [...] thermostat shouldn’t be independent.  Brian McConnell suggests making thermostats a piece of Wi-Fi equipment that could hook into your home network with [...]

]]> By: rainbow http://earth2tech.com/2008/04/20/conservation-on-auto-pilot/#comment-10534 rainbow Sun, 20 Apr 2008 23:31:14 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=1930#comment-10534 <p>It´s a great idea, but the problem with thermostats is usually the time wasted to get at a certain temperature.</p> It´s a great idea, but the problem with thermostats is usually the time wasted to get at a certain temperature.

]]> By: Gridster http://earth2tech.com/2008/04/20/conservation-on-auto-pilot/#comment-10525 Gridster Sun, 20 Apr 2008 19:18:56 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=1930#comment-10525 <p>I agree with you that smart thermostats should be plug-and-play. A smart grid is, however, necessary to provide MORE value to consumers choosing to install smart thermostats by enabling a more robust market for demand-response. Unlike the telephone network, which could be dumb so long as it connects servers to endpoints with broadband (and many disagree about that, this was part of the national network-neutrality argument 2 yrs ago), the power grid will need to balance it's load and adapt in real-time to the changes that distributed generation (renewables like solar panels and small wind, and PHEVs) will mean for the grid. That is the reason the grid itself needs to be smart. Also, having a dumb grid leaves on the table another 1% to 3% drop in total energy pushed through the grid that can be saved with load balancing, volt-var and other smart grid strategies. WiFi is okay, but managing millions of smart appliances over an entire city will require a lot of bandwidth, the kind you can get with a BPL (broadband over powerline) system that Xcel Energy is using for its Smart Grid City in Boulder, Colorado (see Xcel webpage).</p> I agree with you that smart thermostats should be plug-and-play. A smart grid is, however, necessary to provide MORE value to consumers choosing to install smart thermostats by enabling a more robust market for demand-response. Unlike the telephone network, which could be dumb so long as it connects servers to endpoints with broadband (and many disagree about that, this was part of the national network-neutrality argument 2 yrs ago), the power grid will need to balance it’s load and adapt in real-time to the changes that distributed generation (renewables like solar panels and small wind, and PHEVs) will mean for the grid. That is the reason the grid itself needs to be smart. Also, having a dumb grid leaves on the table another 1% to 3% drop in total energy pushed through the grid that can be saved with load balancing, volt-var and other smart grid strategies. WiFi is okay, but managing millions of smart appliances over an entire city will require a lot of bandwidth, the kind you can get with a BPL (broadband over powerline) system that Xcel Energy is using for its Smart Grid City in Boulder, Colorado (see Xcel webpage).

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