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According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Heat Wave Results in Highest U.S. Electricity Demand Since 2017:
From July 15 through July 22, 2019, a heat wave extending from the Midwest to the Atlantic coast brought extremely high temperatures and humidity to those regions. The high temperatures resulted in elevated demand for electricity to power air conditioners, dehumidifiers, fans, and other cooling equipment. In the hour ending at 6:00 p.m. ET on Friday, July 19, hourly electricity demand in the Lower 48 states peaked at 704 gigawatts (GW), according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration's (EIA) U.S. Electric System Operating Data. Electricity demand has not been this high since July 20, 2017, nearly two years ago, when electricity demand in the Lower 48 states hit 718 GW.
NB: The EIA site was giving errors when trying to access the details page for this story. The summary provided here is available on the EIA's main page which is linked to at the top of the story.
[ed: works for me]
(Score: 2) by SomeGuy on Friday August 02 2019, @08:36PM (3 children)
Wow, 2017 was a long time ago. That was like five cell phones ago.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 02 2019, @09:28PM (2 children)
What they don't tell you is that global average temperatures have been dropping steadily since Trump was elected. The temperature always (100% of the time since 1880) rises with democratic presidents for some reason:
https://statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/tempByPres.png [columbia.edu]
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 02 2019, @10:21PM (1 child)
They are the party of hot air
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 02 2019, @10:48PM
It is possible the oil companies are spewing hot air on purpose at the climate stations when democrats are president.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Quicksilver on Friday August 02 2019, @08:48PM (1 child)
So the best science news today was electric use is just like 2 years ago.
(Did anyone yell, "Stop the presses" or something?)
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Saturday August 03 2019, @07:29PM
Isn't that like saying that any science data is from the past, instead of from the present or future?
All this climate change data is from the past. Therefore irrelevant. All this medical data is from the past. All this earthquack data is from the past. Etc.
What happens in the future is the best predictor of the past. There is a correlation. But by the time you collect the data to prove my hypothesis, it is in the past, and therefore irreverent.
When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Friday August 02 2019, @09:02PM (8 children)
I'm in a 1 bedroom apartment. 3 years ago my electric bill was around $20. Last month it was $54. That's before I started running the air and some fans.
SDG&E has this stupid policy that, if you use energy between 4 and 9 PM they're gonna bend you over, swap out the lube for wasabi, and who else you gonna buy power from? They say to cool your house before 4, then turn off the air. That works if A) you're home all day; B) have a smart thermostat that turns itself on around 3; or C) really like wasabi.
As I'm home all day, last week when it was gonna be in the 90s I turned my air on and, at 4 PM when it was a nice 78 degree F in my living room, turned the air off. By 5 PM it was 92. Is there anyone in a normal house/apartment than can turn off their air at the hottest part of the day and have the house stay cool?
For as long as I've lived here (50 years) SDG&E has been one of the most expensive utilities in the country. Looks like they're fighting hard to retain that crown from all comers.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 02 2019, @09:33PM (3 children)
Your problem has more to do with your apartment building than the electrical company. They most likely built cheaply and with no regard to heating/cooling efficiency (because those costs are passed to you). Some of it might also be due to building codes requiring/banning certain techniques and materials but the majority of the blame will go to insufficient insulation and shitty thermal design.
(Score: 2) by Snotnose on Friday August 02 2019, @10:46PM (2 children)
Actually, no. They built this unit with pretty good insulation, there are maybe 30 days of the year I need to turn on the heater, and 30 days I want to turn on the air.
The problem is SDG&E is too farukin expensive for what they provide. $50/month for a refrigerator, TV, PS4, and assorted clock radios is stupid expensive.
When the dust settled America realized it was saved by a porn star.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 02 2019, @11:21PM
Maybe your house is bugged?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 03 2019, @12:21AM
fridge makes the outside hotter and the inside cooler. so be sure the temperatur difference doesnt stall, like open a "shaded" window to outside or relocate the fridge?
also measure fridge amps. it might be "broken". i had one, knew, sat on it until it really broke. replaced it with a smaller, inverter type fridge and saved half of energy used. also i like to keep the fridge stuffed. if it is not full i put bottles of water and leave them. it helps keep cold mass inside since air escapes easily with every access?
same for air. you could fill a bucket with water, place it in room before 4 pm and let the air cool it down, then set the air higher by 2 deg. C after 4 pm and ride thru the expensive phase of energy usage?
if the going really gets tuff, partition the air room off; make the area to cool smaller.
i think making access points (doors) to the cold room smaller for less loss during access, however, is not realistic ^_^
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Friday August 02 2019, @09:46PM (3 children)
Man, my summer electricity bills are never south of $200 even if we're having unseasonably cool weather. You do not turn off or even down your AC in the south during summer unless you're a full-on hillbilly or cajun who's never even had air conditioning. If you're personally unacquainted with why, it's because your sweat does absolutely nothing to cool you down in 75% humidity. And if you don't live in an urban center, there is no breeze because of all the tall, densely packed trees. The Roomie and I have come to the conclusion that 95F is just too fucking hot to work in here, as opposed to not shutting down outside work even at 115F in OK because as long as you kept hydrated you'd be okay (if fairly miserable).
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 03 2019, @02:47AM
Cheap electricity and AC (invented in Buffalo*) made possible large population growth in the south of the USA. When electricity prices rise, there is likely going to be some migration back north.
* https://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/blog/the_last_laugh/2011/07/buffalo-birthplace-of-air-conditioning.html [bizjournals.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 03 2019, @02:51AM (1 child)
Here in CA I open a window when I get home about 5pm and turn on the extractor fan. I'm good in about 10 minutes.
(Score: 2) by The Mighty Buzzard on Saturday August 03 2019, @04:29AM
You raise a very valid point. Unfortunately it means you have to live around Californians. I'd prefer heat stroke.
My rights don't end where your fear begins.
(Score: 2) by Coward, Anonymous on Friday August 02 2019, @11:29PM (5 children)
Ecobee (smart thermostat) offered me $25 to sign up and $20 annually to participate in a load shedding plan. They want the power company to be able to raise the thermostat setting by up to 4 F at peak load times (i.e. when it's really hot). No thanks.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 03 2019, @01:56AM (4 children)
Better than mine. They offer $30 a year to turn off your air conditioner compressor. They do a 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off cycle. They claim most people don't notice, but goodness help you if you have to wait 15 minutes for your AC to come on at all, not to mention the extra wear and tear on your system.
But I have a fully programmed thermostat anyway that sets it to 85 when we are away, so I don't know if that would mean I'd leave the thermostat on 81, and they'd pay me to do to 85, or if they would set it to 89. Big difference there.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 03 2019, @05:16AM (2 children)
> They do a 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off cycle.
4 cycles per hour is the standard duty cycle for air conditioners. If you use an electric thermostat, it works like PWM, but with a 15 minute interval. For example, if the cooling demand is only 67% of the AC's cooling capacity, then it is going to run for 10 minutes on, 5 minutes off. The 15 minute off cycle that the power company imposes (assuming that is correct) actually puts less wear and tear on the system, because it remains off for an entire cycle, instead of on for a fraction of that 15 minute cycle like it normally would. The power company is essentially forcing the system to operate at less than 50% capacity.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 03 2019, @06:44AM (1 child)
That is way too short. I literally just talked to our AC guy (which is how I found out about the program in the first place), who suggested that we should have no more than 3 cycles per hour and no less than 2 on a hot day. Any more or less is a bad sign. In addition, compressor pumps suffer the most problems on the start and stop, not running. They are a lot like lightbulbs, where the sudden surge of energy off the starting capacitor can cause all sorts of problems.
You are also assuming that the cycle of your AC matches with theirs. What if their "off" cycle starts at the same time as my "on", and now the AC is off for an additional 15 additional minutes? Or the AC comes on for two minutes and then it hits? All that just increases the number of "ons" it suffers without decreasing demand. And on top of that, it is only $30 to handicap my AC for the additional headache, potential voiding of my warranty, and wear from the "ons."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday August 06 2019, @11:22PM
Yes, the standard duty cycle is for comfort, not system longevity. People like to raise the thermostat setting if they experience wide temperature swings, which is also not efficient (higher thermostat settings). If the building's heat gain is low, then you can get away with fewer cycles and not experience a wide temperature swing. Old homes might need the 4 cycles per hour.
The compressor does not have enough durability to pressurize an already pressurized system. The compressor depends on its momentum when the system is pressurized. The compressor lockout timer assumes that the low and high pressure sides have had enough time to drain into an almost even pressure before starting again. If you lose power before the lockout timer detects that it needs to lock out the compressor, but the compressor has lost momentum or the AC cycle is not timed correctly for where the piston is at (rotation position wise), then damage might occur. It will draw more current in this scenario, so if you are lucky, the circuit breaker will trip. Ideally, the compressor will have its own breaker, because the circuit breaker is meant to protect the insulation of the wires in the wall, not the appliance. So it also helps to ensure that the compressor lockout functions correctly in a brownout, or very short power outage, scenario.
(Score: 2) by toddestan on Sunday August 04 2019, @02:03AM
I have that system on my AC. In the 10 years I've lived here, I've only ever noticed the system activating once. At first, it was an "Oh Shit!" moment when I noticed that the fan was blowing but the compressor wasn't on, given the entire system is over 25 years which puts it well into borrowed time territory. Then I noticed the lights on their controller box were lit up. Sure enough a few minutes later the lights went off and compressor kicked on. Of course, they could have activated other times and I didn't notice, or I wasn't around.
The system I have doesn't actually save any power for the power company - if the temperature is above the setpoint on the thermostat, the system wants to run. They can kill the power to it remotely, but they can only kill the power for so long, and as soon as they switch it back on the system will kick on. So it really only pushes the demand back a few minutes. Which is probably why they don't use it much. I assume the main reason for the system is for the power company to better handle sudden spikes in demand and to give them time to spool a peaker plant up.
The system that allows them to mess with the thermostat actually would save them power. I can see them doing that a lot more often.
(Score: 2) by legont on Saturday August 03 2019, @01:29AM (5 children)
Why don't progressives plug their Teslas into their buildings during power shortages? Teslas get electricity for free.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 03 2019, @02:02AM
Because Telsas don't let you reverse charge them, otherwise I'm sure people already would.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 03 2019, @02:50AM
You seem to have confused demographics, Tesla buyers (and luxury car buyers in general) are monopolists, although many hide behind a thin veil of capitalism.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Saturday August 03 2019, @07:34PM (2 children)
The electric utilities won't allow this. The electric utility will start throttling your supposedly "unlimited" plan if they discover you use electricity for air conditioning as opposed to import applications such as pet entertainment systems or fancy light show displays.
When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.
(Score: 2) by legont on Sunday August 04 2019, @01:12AM (1 child)
That's where Mask's magic negotiation skills would play. See, energy increases while passing through Tesla.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Sunday August 04 2019, @02:35AM
Edison would be spinning in his grave.
(which would generate an AC current)
When trying to solve a problem don't ask who suffers from the problem, ask who profits from the problem.
(Score: 2) by Phoenix666 on Saturday August 03 2019, @02:29PM
as electricity prices climb and solar prices drop, more people will switch. that will prompt utilities to raise prices more to maintain their revenues. then more people will figure out it's cheaper to switch to solar panels.
a smart utility would add capacity to forestall that dynamic, but that would require long-term thinking.
Washington DC delenda est.