03-28-2009, 01:36 AM
http://www.news.com.au/business/money/st...13,00.html
ETSA to install device that allows it to ration electricity, turn off appliances
ETSA Utilities customers who agree to allow rationing could be in line for better deals on their electricity bills, AdelaideNow reports.
ETSA chief executive Lew Owens says the new device, now being trialled, could prevent the kind of load-shedding blackouts across entire suburbs that Adelaide experienced in January, by reducing demand across the city.
ETSA wants to introduce the system some time after 2010 and put eventually roll it out into all homes in Adelaide.
The new device would go in the meter box and remotely read meters, turn power on and off, report outages ââ¬â and, if the customer agreed, ration power to an individual home.
It is controlled by an FM radio signal and on a house-by-house basis.
It follows the successful trial by ETSA of a less sophisticated "peak breaker" box attached to airconditioners in Mawson Lakes and Glenelg, which was used to turn off refrigerated airconditioner compressors in periods of peak demand during heatwaves.
"We can turn off the compressors and leave the fan circulating the air," Mr Owens said.
"We turn it off 15 minutes in every hour by an FM radio signal and the customer doesn't know it's happened."
The trials found that peak electricity demand during heatwaves could be reduced dramatically by the control boxes, with Mawson Lakes homes' power consumption cut by about a third, and Glenelg's by about 20 per cent.
Mr Owens emphasised that while ETSA planned to put the new boxes in all homes, customers would choose whether to allow it to be used to ration power.
However, he added that people who did not take this option might find they would lose all power when power demand was running at peak levels.
It is likely ETSA will offer different tariffs to attract people to use the system, potentially cutting the charges it levies for distribution in everyone's bill.
One option would be for customers to pay a lower distribution charge in a deal where they might agree to limit their use of power to a certain amount.
If they exceeded their limit at any time, they could be given a five-minute warning by ETSA ââ¬â and then power would be cut to certain appliances listed in their agreement.
This could mean a plasma TV and airconditioner might be turned off remotely, while computers would be allowed to stay connected.
ETSA says the box is sophisticated enough to control specific equipment in the home.
ETSA to install device that allows it to ration electricity, turn off appliances
- Company wants to install control boxes
- Would allow it to switch off appliances
- And should save customers money
ETSA Utilities customers who agree to allow rationing could be in line for better deals on their electricity bills, AdelaideNow reports.
ETSA chief executive Lew Owens says the new device, now being trialled, could prevent the kind of load-shedding blackouts across entire suburbs that Adelaide experienced in January, by reducing demand across the city.
ETSA wants to introduce the system some time after 2010 and put eventually roll it out into all homes in Adelaide.
The new device would go in the meter box and remotely read meters, turn power on and off, report outages ââ¬â and, if the customer agreed, ration power to an individual home.
It is controlled by an FM radio signal and on a house-by-house basis.
It follows the successful trial by ETSA of a less sophisticated "peak breaker" box attached to airconditioners in Mawson Lakes and Glenelg, which was used to turn off refrigerated airconditioner compressors in periods of peak demand during heatwaves.
"We can turn off the compressors and leave the fan circulating the air," Mr Owens said.
"We turn it off 15 minutes in every hour by an FM radio signal and the customer doesn't know it's happened."
The trials found that peak electricity demand during heatwaves could be reduced dramatically by the control boxes, with Mawson Lakes homes' power consumption cut by about a third, and Glenelg's by about 20 per cent.
Mr Owens emphasised that while ETSA planned to put the new boxes in all homes, customers would choose whether to allow it to be used to ration power.
However, he added that people who did not take this option might find they would lose all power when power demand was running at peak levels.
It is likely ETSA will offer different tariffs to attract people to use the system, potentially cutting the charges it levies for distribution in everyone's bill.
One option would be for customers to pay a lower distribution charge in a deal where they might agree to limit their use of power to a certain amount.
If they exceeded their limit at any time, they could be given a five-minute warning by ETSA ââ¬â and then power would be cut to certain appliances listed in their agreement.
This could mean a plasma TV and airconditioner might be turned off remotely, while computers would be allowed to stay connected.
ETSA says the box is sophisticated enough to control specific equipment in the home.
