1.) The power company is going to sell me a smart meter ...
... let me peek at my gift.
What is it? A smart meter is an ordinary electric meter with a wireless radio inside. It reads whole-house electricity and broadcasts that information over a radio. As of now, it does NOT turn off appliances. It cannot shop for lowest price electricity. Appliance-makers are aiming at smart meter interface, but will the Zigbee(R) Smart Energy products cost consumers more than they save? Google has a new interface product called the Google Power Meter. Radio-activated controls on air conditioners have been tried, but outdoor radios failed after a couple years. The smart meter is a cleverly named product, and you better photograph your old meter-reading before they install the smart one. Read about smart meter roll-out in Texas Read Smart-grid news
How do you benefit? With privatized electric service, you pay $430 for the meter and radio, plus electricity to run it. The electric company moves local people off the payroll and raises your bill to pay for a meter not manufactured in your town. The electric company uses the radio to read your meter and/or disconnect your service from offices located where labor is cheapest. The company watches your electric comings-and-goings and sells that information for a profit. The switch controlling your home electricity will be in the hands of people unavailable for comment, possibly overseas depending on who won your contract in the latest Wall Street play.
While local jobs are shopped around the globe, electric customers use a 100 watt computer to watch the meter at static 15-minute intervals. This is NOT a live feed since the radio broadcasts at 15-minute intervals. The electric company dreams of new meter-enabled services that cost a monthly fee while promoters make glossy ads claiming hokey products save money. My bet for most likely 'product' will be peak-price billing that peaks just as you arrive home from work. What about "guaranteed-service-upgrade-packages" so customers can charge that electric car? What about intentionally degrading electric service forcing consumers to buy "high-def" electricity "so appliances last longer." Don't forget, the same folks that invented Satellite TV with no innovation and Energy Star appliances that use more electricity are still in charge.
What can you do? It's your vote. Stop waiting for the CEO to skewer your wallet. You can go outside every 15 minutes and watch the meter free right now. Cutting local workers and importing a smart meter is not smart for you. The physics is simple: if the electric appliance gets warm or hot, turn it off and/or install a timer.
2.) I want a tankless 'on-demand' heater...
| .. except they are made overseas and can NOT be repaired by the homeowner |
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Takagi TK1 |
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Bosch
1600P |
See Hidden cost of tankless
You can save more more money and more energy with a few changes on your conventional tank heater see
Here's the research:
Tankless water heaters are not built in your town. They are high tech gadgets. The electronics inside cannot get wet. They are prone to lime build-up. Problems are difficult to diagnose. Parts are not interchangeable. Whereas conventional water heaters can usually be repaired same day, when a tankless stops working, you wait for a professional repairman who specializes in that brand, and then wait for expensive parts/ or throw the thing out and more money flows overseas.
Electric type: Whole house tankless electric does NOT save money vrs conventional tank heater. Operation requires 90 to 120 additional amps from your breaker panel > usually requires new breaker panel with more amps from the pole.
Gas type: Whole house tankless gas saves $1 - $8 a month depending on amount of hot water used. See hidden costs. Expensive to retrofit for tankless. Requires nearby 1-1/4" gas line because tankless consumes more BTUs to heat water than regular tank. Requires 5" stainless steel exhaust pipe because of additional heat. This is not a do-it-yourself project.
Operation: Nowhere does warranty say that tankless last longer than regular water heater. Tankless units rely on high-tech precision making them susceptible to water pressure and particulate in water. Water-softener & filter are required, adding another monthly expense. Tankless units have computer chip and electronics that cannot get wet. Your dealer/plumber might need a computer interface like a car repair shop to diagnose problems. In contrast, your regular tank heater is easy to fix and maintain.
Energy: On-demand heaters consume large quantities of BTUs as water flows past in a pipe. Tankless cannot store heat gathered from other sources such as solar. Tip for saving money in cold climates: install staging tank so water starts at room temperature.
By comparison, there are many ways to save more money and more energy with regular tank heater, including: dial down thermostat, insulate tank and install timer. A timer is low-cost savings straight to you.
Well, a timer works like the circuit breaker. It simply gives your water heater a well-earned rest each day. A timer will prolong the life of your water heater while saving money.
Decisions were made in a cheaper era that water heaters should run full-time with no switch or control.
See: Is a timer right for me?
TV
Answer: A TV CEO
will yell and scare until you buy a
smart meter or tankless heater or some other product thinking these
things are in your benefit.
But a CEO won't tell you about a water heater timer because a
timer is a
low-cost, low-tech benefit straight to you.
Well, I'm not going to get one anyway
