[BC] Electricity peak shaving

[Broadcast List USER]

My power company, now called Dominion Virginia Power, many years ago  
offered a water heater shedding program.  They installed a box on our  
water heater that can shut it off for 20 minutes.  It is controlled  
via carrier current signals.  They only give us $2 a month, but what  
the heck?

The only downside is that when we go away, we shut off the water and  
the water heater, and we adjust the thermostat if we will be gone for  
more than a couple days.  Having to wait for the house to be  
comfortable to save a few dollars isn't worth it.

 From time to time, we would run out of hot water if they hit us when  
we were using it.  It was a 1983 installed Rehm builders grade 60  
gallon heater.  When we replaced it, which wasn't that long ago, we  
got the top rated unit, a 80 gallon GE super insulated unit.  Now,  
when we take a weekend out of town, we still have fairly hot water  
when we get home.  Even four days over Thanksgiving we still have warm  
water.

There is a bit of a downside to the unit.  When the breaker is turned  
back on, it holds off the heater for 20 minutes.  Also, power failures  
do the same thing -- the hot water heater is off for 20 minutes once  
the power is restored.  It was a big problem with the old water  
heater, but now it isn't.

Even though the payment is only $2 a month, and has remained the same  
for nearly two decades, I don't mind.  If it keeps them from having to  
fire up some peak demand diesel sets, or even another coal plant, I'm  
for it.

Another story.

WBAL was asked by BG&E, Baltimore Gas & Electric to join their  
program.  They were for it as they offered some substantial savings.   
WBAL had one HUGE standby gen-set.  They didn't participate.  BG&E  
didn't give the option of not going off the grid, or even coming back  
to the grid if the generator failed.  Had they just agreed to back up  
the generator in case of a failure, the stations would have gone over,  
but without that, no way.  I guess the savings were not enough to  
justify another gen-set.

--chip

On Feb 17, 2010, at 9:41 PM, broadcast-request at radiolists.net wrote:

> Message: 23
> From: "Dana  Puopolo" <dpuopolo at usa.net>
>
> I dunno. Some power companies actually offer this to Homeowners. I  
> know that
> when Craig Healy worked at WBRU, one of their SCAs was used to  
> control load
> shedding devices, including ones located in homes.
>
> -D
>
> From: Chris Gebhardt <chris at virtbiz.com>
>
>> I thought I would touch on what Dana mentioned here regarding  
>> credits from the
>> utility company, based on what we have learned through our  
>> experience.
>>
>> What Dana referred to is called a Demand/Response program, or peak  
>> shaving.
>> It is my experience that the power company itself isn't interested  
>> in talking
>> to you about participating unless you're swinging at least a  
>> megawatt.
>