My father works in the heating world. He installed a large efficient storage water heater in the house which would basically warm the water in one go at 5am and provide it to the house all day.
What I don't understand from the article is why this is being controlled by the grid? The US is a market system, can't I buy a smart immersion heater which can then react to real time pricing information? So I warm my water up at times when the grid are paying people to use electricity?
That places the incentives correctly:
a) The entity making the investment in a new heater also gets the financial benefits thereof.
b) What's to stop your electricity supplier making your water 5% hotter every year to boost their revenues?
What I don't understand from the article is why this is being controlled by the grid? The US is a market system, can't I buy a smart immersion heater which can then react to real time pricing information? So I warm my water up at times when the grid are paying people to use electricity?
That places the incentives correctly:
a) The entity making the investment in a new heater also gets the financial benefits thereof.
b) What's to stop your electricity supplier making your water 5% hotter every year to boost their revenues?