Despite questions over climate change as a basis
for installing these micro brown-out devices, utilities and manufacturers
continue marketing them
Long considered rumor and conspiracy gossip, utilities are now
confirming they can indeed control the flow of electricity into homes using
wireless communication with the Smart Grid. Under pilot programs in
cooperation with the Department of Energy, regional power companies such as EPB
in Chattanooga , Tennessee
According to Danna Bailey, spokesperson for EPB, homeowners who
voluntarily enroll in these schemes can save money by giving the utility the
option of limiting power to high usage systems in the home or on the property
when strain on the grid is most pronounced.
Specifically targeted for efficiency are water heaters, air conditioning
systems and heaters for outdoor swimming pools, said Bailey. In a recent
program offered by EPB, which was funded by a grant in the 2009 American
Recovery and Reinvestment Act, customers could save money by adding a wireless
device, approximately the size of a garage door remote, onto the assigned
appliances which would allow the electric flow to be controlled by the utility
company.
