New Electrical panels..beware.. Internet connected..

[bikeron]

SPAN® | Outage

The ultimate solution for whole-home backup

www.span.io

If you get one of these and they offer you a discount on your power bill.. don't. They will start controlling your power usage.

 

[Shovelrick]

Another form of Energy Management, I installed the Gray boxes for controlling Water Heaters & AC units in the 80’s

 

[kmakar]

Another form of Energy Management, I installed the Gray boxes for controlling Water Heaters & AC units in the 80’s

Funny story about that..... in the early 90's I got a number of calls from people who had the energy control devices hooked to their A/C and water heaters. They'd get upset and I'd explain they signed up for it to save money on their electric bills.

They asked me to "fix" it and I'd explain to them they could do it themselves but they'd persist, so I disconnected a few of them, but had to leave the devices live. I'd hook the A/C or WH to the same supply as the device so the device stayed online but did nothing.

 

[77cruiser]

They offer that here too for your WH, I don't use it, but I have off peak electric heat that they can control, but you have to have a back up heating system.
Not sure when they started the off peak program, late 70' early 80's maybe. When I started with it, OP rate was 2.4 cents /KW, now it's 6.8/KW. Still cheaper than propane.
This isn't hooked to the internet, but they do offer the smart thermostat too & that is, so the can turn your heat on & off or up & down.

 

[Chevelle_Nut]

They put smart meters on houses around here a couple of years ago. Stupid power company!

 

[Molly's 70]

We have smart meters here also. I never signed up for their thermostat power saving whatever it is bullshit.
I run the piss out of my AC in the summer and turn my thermostat to whatever I want when I want.
The gas & electric companies can kiss my ass. Just send me the bill.

 

[Shovelrick]

Funny story about that..... in the early 90's I got a number of calls from people who had the energy control devices hooked to their A/C and water heaters. They'd get upset and I'd explain they signed up for it to save money on their electric bills.

They asked me to "fix" it and I'd explain to them they could do it themselves but they'd persist, so I disconnected a few of them, but had to leave the devices live. I'd hook the A/C or WH to the same supply as the device so the device stayed online but did nothing.

I still do that on new ac installs, No ac shut off but owners still get the discount lol

 

[xchak]

We have smart meters here also. I never signed up for their thermostat power saving whatever it is bullshit.
I run the piss out of my AC in the summer and turn my thermostat to whatever I want when I want.
The gas & electric companies can kiss my ass. Just send me the bill.