Re: Your Thermostats or Your Life!

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

________________________________________
From: Esther Dyson [edyson () edventure com]
Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2008 10:38 PM
To: David Farber; ip
Subject: Re: [IP] Re:   Your Thermostats or Your Life!

Much better to give the user power and
*incentives* to manage his own use.  That is what
GridPoint does, in essence allowing individuals
and small businesses to participate in a
real-time, dynamic energy market.  Those who have
solar panels or other generating equipment can
sell into the grid, and any of them can buy when
demand is low, store it and sell when demand (=
prices) is high.  www.gridpoint.com.  This
modulates demand (and the need for peak
capacity); it also lowers average costs by
shifting the market towards the lowest-cost sources of power.

(Disclosure: I am an investor.)

Esther Dyson

t 04:52 PM 1/13/2008, David Farber wrote:
> remember Metricom?
>
> ________________________________________
> From: Bob Frankston [bob37-2 () bobf frankston com]
> Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2008 12:55 PM
> To: David Farber; 'ip'
> Cc: 'Lauren Weinstein'
> Subject: RE: [IP] Your Thermostats or Your Life!
>
> This is indeed nuts. About ten years ago I spoke
> to PG&E people about their "demand side
> management" as part of my role in home control
> at Microsoft. It turned out that they only
> expect about a $5/month savings per house ­ not
> enough to ccare about. But it was a great way to
> maintain customer-awareness as their role
> devolved to more broker than energy provider. As
> per this list I looked at the Lilco BPL filings
> ­  the Broadband-over-powerline is closely
> related as these companies attempt to find
> another business to be in and presume that the
> Internet is just another consumable they can
> deliver. The rationale is that they need to read
> a few bits from meters and for demand side
> management so might as well spend billions on new infrastructure.
>
> A big problem with demand-side management is the
> naïve assumption that you can reach into
> people’s homes and just turn on and off things
> without regard to context. This is not just
> arrogant but stupid ­ no wonder it hasn’t
> gotten any tractionn than solving our
> transportation problems with personal
> auto-gyros. What if you “medical needsâ€� petition is not accepted and …
>
>
> Yet there is a viable alternative ­ once aagain
> learn the lessons of the Internet and digital
> systems. If we separate the control signaling
> from the power signaling in our homes we could
> have an effective marketplace in adaptive
> technologies. One possibility is something akin
> to congestion pricing wherein the home owner is
> supplied with information, perhaps a dynamic
> price for energy. The policies can be
> implemented in the owner’s own house control
> system, AKA, a simple computer, with a
> marketplace for software that translates polices
> into goals such as minimizing cost and maximizing comfort.
>
> One example of why a simplistic approach is
> problematic is in energy ratings for appliances.
> An A/C that is efficient when run constantly may
> be worse public policy than one that runs
> counter to the demand cycle. A well insulated
> house could take advantage of this. Or perhaps
> the homeowner might choose a local energy store or local generation.
>
> Putting a thumb on people’s thermostats would
> be just as bad if not worse than the procrustean
> telecom act of ’34 which presumed that we knew
> the answers and needn’t allow for any innovation or personal initiative.
>
> The problem here is not in hacking the data
> stream but the very idea of putting
> Procrustes<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procrustes>
> in charge of public policy as if context
> didn’t matter and we could outlaw ambiguity
> (and, while we’re at it, that pesky 0 in math
> and the irrationality of π (pi for you 8-bitters)).
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Farber [mailto:dave () farber net]
> Sent: Sunday, January 13, 2008 06:02
> To: ip
> Subject: [IP] Your Thermostats or Your Life!
>
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________________
>
> From: Lauren Weinstein [lauren () vortex com]
>
> Sent: Saturday, January 12, 2008 10:12 PM
>
> To: David Farber
>
> Cc: lauren () vortex com
>
> Subject: Your Thermostats or Your Life!
>
>
>
>                        Your Thermostats or Your Life!
>
>
>
>                http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000357.html
>
>
>
>
>
> Attention citizens!  Attention to your Telescreen now!  That means
>
> YOU, Roberts88739T, and YOU Debros02935Y.  Attention!
>
>
>
> By order of the California State Regulatorium, your environmental
>
> temperatures are hereby and forever placed under our direct command.
>
>
>
> Starting next year, if all goes as planned, your new or
>
> substantially modified homes and commercial buildings by edict shall
>
> be equipped with thermostats that will be controlled via FM
>
> broadcast signals
>
> ( http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/11/us/11control.html ).
>
>
>
> We will transmit temperature recommendations!  We will override your
>
> temperature settings as we see fit!
>
>
>
> You and your equipment will freeze or burn by our dictates!
>
> Oh glorious technology of the 21st century, come to fruition in
>
> reality from the nether regions of bureaucrats' dreams!
>
>
>
> You need not fear hacking of this wondrousness.  All associated
>
> Internet connections will be protected with the same sorts of
>
> precision security used for touchscreen voting systems!
>
>
>
> And citizens, be warned!  While this will likely be a one-way system
>
> for now -- making it difficult for us to detect simple but illicit
>
> tampering directly -- our vast network of thermostat informants will
>
> be ready and willing to report any and all transgressors, with the
>
> full weight of the criminal justice system waiting like the Sword of
>
> Damocles.
>
>
>
> So give glory to the Masters of Megawatts!  All hail the Honchos
>
> of Heat!  Genuflect to the Autocrats of Air Conditioning!
>
>
>
> And coming soon, mandated devices that will allow us to control when
>
> and where you have sex.  More details about these in our next
>
> Telescreen bulletin.
>
>
>
> Until then, you may return to your designated legal, state-mandated
>
> activities.
>
>
>
> This announcement has been brought to you by the California State
>
> Ministry of Environmental Monitoring and Control.  Have a nice day!
>
>
>
>  - - -
>
>
>
> --Lauren--
>
> Lauren Weinstein
>
> lauren () vortex com or lauren () pfir org
>
> Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
>
> http://www.pfir.org/lauren
>
> Co-Founder, PFIR
>
>    - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
>
> Co-Founder, NNSquad
>
>    - Network Neutrality Squad - http://www.nnsquad.org
>
> Founder, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
>
> Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
>
> Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com
>
>
>
>
>
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Esther Dyson              Always make new mistakes!

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