Pirate's Cove

That is, if the Cult of Climastrology will let you have one, or at least one that works worth a damn

How talking to air conditioners could help prevent blackouts

For South Australia, it was a cruelly ironic one-two punch – a burst of the extreme heat conditions that are so much more likely because of climate change, and a power cut linked to a simultaneous drop in wind that hobbled the renewable energy systems introduced to minimise global warming in the first place. (big snip)

The telecommunications expert envisions an Internet of Things (IoT) integrated energy grid that provides live weather updates, monitors power shortfalls, predicts demand, and reacts accordingly – even utilising smart meters to adjust an entire state’s air conditioners to reduce power consumption.

“What you need in these emergencies is a manageable system, not just a matter of switching power on and off to entire areas, but having all this in place you could manage air cons in people’s homes in such a way that it doesn’t overload the network,” he says.

What they’re discussing is not actually talking to your AC, but allowing the energy companies, which are heavily regulated by the government, to control all aspects of your power consumption. It’s back to the whole “smart grid” idea, which would leave your home vulnerable to all sorts of things, including hacking into your home controllers to the power company remotely shutting off your power. They can also do things like change the temperature of your home via your heating and AC systems.

How much do you want them in your home? Oh, right, we have to solve Hotcoldwetdry. When Liberals start giving up their own control of power in their homes, the rest of us might consider it.