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Here's a new Technology, Being Developed. Eaton EPRI is field testing intelligent circuit breakers for smart grid utilities. Called the Energy management circuit breaker. This is very interesting Tech. But, the first drawback, I though of. Was, Oh great! Another way for Hackers to Break into our Homes. And that is a Big and Inevitable Concern. With any Remotely Accessible Technology. Especially considering the Recent Tack Record, of such Tech. But, as I read the Article (I pasted some excerpts below and highlighted the troubling text in red). I realized. It's not just Hackers, that we would have to worry about. Imagine... Getting home from work, on a Hot Day. Only to find, that your Air Conditioner. Had been turned of (Remotely) by the Utility Company! So, you go to your Breaker Panel. To turn the Darn thing Back on! Only to find, that you can't. Because, it just keeps turning it's self, back off. Why? Your Utility Company has Decided to "offset peak usage energy demands" Today. And you have been Chosen to "Help". Can you Reset that Stupid "Smart Circuit Breaker". No, it's Proprietary Hardware and Software. And they don't share the How To, info on that Stuff. So, you don't live in an Apartment Building. You Own Your own Home. And you did save your old Mechanical Circuit Breakers. When you bought these new "Smart Circuit Breakers". So, you take that thing out! And Put your Mechanical Breaker back in it's place (assuming you know how to safely do this). But, your AC still does not come back on. Why not!!!? Because, when your AC unit was Shut down by the Circuit Breaker. Instead of the by the Thermostat (the way the system was designed to work). Now, the Thermostat is out of Whack. And isn't turning the AC on. Or is it just the Fan inside the House? You'll have to go outside and check and see, if the Outside Unit's Compressor is Running and also Check the Fan, inside the House. It's in the Closet, where you Change the Filters. What? You don't know how to do that? So, now you wonder... Has anything been Damaged, by this "Smart Circuit Breaker"? When it shut down your Entire AC System, while it was Running! You could call your Utility Company. But, you know that they don't and wont support your Personal Air Conditioning System. That is owned by you. So, you have to call an AC Repair Service. Now, your really hot and tired and really Pissed! But, the AC Service Company has your Air Conditioning System Back up and running (at a Considerable Cost). The house is cooling down. You are still Hot, Tired and very Dirty now. After a whole day at work and an evening of AC Diagnosis Work. Time for a nice Hot Shower or maybe a Soak in the Whirlpool Tub. What!!!!??? No Hot Water!!!!!! That's right! You live in an All Electric Home. And the Utility Company, has Decided. To Shut Down "Homes with EMCBs enable utilities to remotely cycle major loads like air conditioners and water heaters to help offset peak usage energy demands"... Well, Crap!!!! You, now decide to drive over to a friend or relative's house. To clean up and maybe even spend the night. But, wait! That wonderful Eco Friendly Electric Car, you drive. Hasn't been Charged. Not one Bit! And it wont make the Trip, without Running down the Batteries. Ya, that's Right. The Utility Company, has Decided. To Shut Down "Homes with EMCBs enable utilities to remotely cycle major loads like air conditioners and water heaters to help offset peak usage energy demands"!!!!!! And it takes Hours to Charge that Electric Car back up. Even a "Quick Charge Power Station". Would take to long, this late in the evening! And besides, that. It costs too much money, to use! Much more, than the Cost of Charging at Home! And to Top it all off. Not one of those Big Office Buildings nor Manufacturing Plants, in your area. Have been Rationed, on their Electrical Usage. Not at all... Oh, and what if your elderly 82 year old Parent, lives with you. And they were not feeling well. Because of the unexplained Heat in their - your Home. While you were away at Work. They laid down to take a nap and never woke up!!!! People Die every Summer, in my area of Texas. Due to not being able to afford the Electric Bill or because of Broken Air Conditioning. Which they cannot afford to have fixed, in their Homes... But, don't worry. Soon it will be Winter. And all you will have to be concerned with. Is your Electric Heater Being Turned off by the Utility Company and your Pipes Freezing. Unless, you or a loved ones are Asleep at the time. And never wake up to realize. That your Home is now Below Freezing and has been for a Several Hours...

Sure, many of US. Want and need to find Alternate ways of Producing Energy. Better and less Expensive Ways. As well as ways to Produce Electrical Products. That work well and use less Electricity. But, giving over Control of your own Home, Car and the very life, that you live. To Big Corporations. Who's most important goal, is... Their own Bottom Line and Profit. That's not something I want to do! Do you? Oh, and those Solar Panels. That you spent a small fortune on. They are Providing Electricity, back to the "Smart Grid". All while, your most important Household Necessities have been Remotely Turned off by the Utility Company... This all came to my mind. Because of the Statements, Made in the Eaton EPRI Article. You can read the Excerpt Quotes, from the Eaton EPRI Article Below and Please do go on to the Web Site and read the whole Article...

Check out the Related info links below too, there are Better Ways...

Don

Eaton EPRI is field testing intelligent circuit breakers for smart grid utilities

Quotes from http://www.eaton.com/FTC/utilities/EMCB/index.htm?wtredirect=www.eaton.com/EMCB

"Recently, Eaton began a first-of-its-kind energy management field test in collaboration with EPRI and utility providers across the country. At its core is a circuit breaker that thinks and acts more like a smartphone. And it's poised to reset the way consumers manage their home energy use—and fundamentally change the way we think about the electrical grid.

Eaton's EMCB is an industry-first: a next-generation "smart breaker" that has the safety functionality of a standard circuit breaker with cloud-connectivity and on-board intelligence built in. It is a staggering transformation of circuit breaker technology and offers revenue-grade branch circuit metering, communications capabilities and remote access. The breaker can be monitored and controlled without compromising any of the circuit breaker's traditional safety features.

For consumers, energy savings are just the beginning. Much like traditional demand-response programs, homes with EMCBs enable utilities to remotely cycle major loads like air conditioners and water heaters to help offset peak usage energy demands, thus saving money. The EMCB's user interface can ultimately become a real-time energy dashboard allowing the utilities and the consumers themselves better understand when and how they use electricity. It's like putting your entire home on a FitBit. And greater knowledge promotes better choices, from installing energy-saving appliances and lighting to adopting better energy usage practices.
For utilities, the EMCB is an entirely new kind of energy management device—a smart breaker that carries functionality suitable for a variety of end-use applications, including Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and Home Area Networks (HAN), as well as Demand Response (DR) and solar installation monitoring.
Eaton's EMCB improves integration of distributed energy resources and can help maximize asset utilization for the utility, which could directly translate to lower cost of electricity for consumers. In the future, EMCBs could also simplify the charging and metering of plug-in electric vehicles."
Read More...
http://www.eaton.com/FTC/utilities/EMCB/index.htm?wtredirect=www.eaton.com/EMCB

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Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Eaton EPRI is field testing intelligent Circuit Breakers for Smart Grid Utilities - Energy Management Circuit Breaker

Eaton EPRI is field testing intelligent circuit breakers for smart grid utilities

Alternate Energy

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