Read as your appliances may become useless

[Binnie]

(9 May 2013, 10:00)clv101 Wrote: Dynamic Demand in devices like fridges with high thermal inertial is a great idea. The 'Big Brother' and state control mentioned in the usual areas of the media are red herrings. These concerns may apply to smart metres, but not dynamic demand.

Key points about Dynamic Demand:
The energy available at the socket is totally unaffected - it's always on just as it is now.
The coolness of your milk is unaffected - it'll be kept just as cool as it is now.
The benefit is that it makes it easier for the grid to deliver that energy service.
It's not about reducing overall electricity use, it is about generating electricity more efficiently and reducing the chance of blackout.
No information travels from the appliance back into the grid, the appliance simple reads the instantaneous grid status.

Sizewell B failed in 2008, sparking large scale black outs. In theory, if 20 million fridges and freezers could have come off-line for a few minutes, alternative supply could have been brought on-line and no one would even have noticed. That's an extreme case, but the theory is sound and it's going to become more important in time.

But as a customer, surely YOU tell THEM when you want to use the fridge? not the other way round!!!