[opendtv] Re: News: Plugging Into the Net, Through the Humble Wal l Outlet

>From: Kon Wilms <kon@xxxxxxxxxxxx> 
>To: opendtv@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
>Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 09:00:07 -0700
>
>Time of day pricing? That just blew it right there. Now my broadband 
>comes for less but my power costs more. Supposedly. I suspect they will 
>make up the lost charges in unfathomable line-items. No doubt we will 
>still be charged for 'meter reading'.

Time of day pricing for power is nothing new -- my local electric utility has 
been doing it for years and it means my power costs LESS, not more. In our 
case, it meant the utility had to install a special meter (with a time clock) 
and I immediately started saving money by making a few minor adjustments in my 
summertime power usage -- like letting the house get a little warmer during the 
day when no one is home, and running the pool pump at night.

If the power load is more balanced throughout the 24 hours of the day, the 
power company saves money by not having to fire up extra generators to meet 
peak demand on a hot summer day. They have passed along some of that savings to 
customers who are willing to have the special meter installed and adjust their 
usage to consume less power during peak demand times. If they had a BPL two-way 
data link to the meters, they should be able to charge LESS for 'meter 
reading,' since this will be done remotely by a computer instead of sending a 
guy out to do it manually. Two-way data over power lines seems like a win-win 
for utilities and consumers, even if it is only used for time-of-day billing 
and remote meter reading. Whether it can compete for broadband internet access 
is another story...

-- Frank  
 
 
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