• Emma_Gold_Man@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    10 months ago

    There are problems they can actually solve, mostly heating and power related:

    • In summer, lower the blinds on south facing windows when the sun comes up to reduce solar heating, then raise them in the evening to increase air flow against the window panes. This reduces the need for air conditioning, resulting in a surprising amount of power saved.

    • On a home solar system, start the washing machine, dishwasher, and dryer that were loaded in the morning when the batteries reach 80% charge. Allow them to run off the inverter rather than taking the charge/discharge losses involved in battery storage, reducing the size of both battery bank and solar array needed.

    • Lower the freezer temperature when there is a power surplus, and raise it back to normal when not so that cooling energy is used when it’s cheapest/most available

    If you don’t work from home, you can’t do the second two yourself. They require automation. Reducing baseload requirements and battery storage needs can make a transition to renewable power much cheaper and more efficient. With mass adoption, that extends to power grids and not just off-grid homes, and has significant effects on things like the amount of lithium that needs to be mined or the number of coal and LNG power plants that are needed for times that are off-peak for wind and solar generation.

    • A_Random_Idiot@lemmy.world
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      10 months ago

      On a home solar system, start the washing machine, dishwasher, and dryer that were loaded in the morning when the batteries reach 80% charge. Allow them to run off the inverter rather than taking the charge/discharge losses involved in battery storage, reducing the size of both battery bank and solar array needed.

      If thats such a world ending colossal issue for you (hint. its not. literally no one will ever have that problem, but lets humor your ridiculous made up bullshit), then https://www.amazon.com/TiFFCOFiO-Mechanical-Electrical-Outlets-Repeating/dp/B0BCKDTS1G. Cheaper, more reliable, and doesnt open your asshole to the internet for fucking.

      Lower the freezer temperature when there is a power surplus, and raise it back to normal when not so that cooling energy is used when it’s cheapest/most available

      Literally a waste of money and power to buy a thing thats even capable of playing that stupid game with temperature digitally. Set your freezer to -18c/0f and leave it the fuck alone. If you want to save power and be more efficient, get a chest freezer, and make a diagram of whats where inside it so you can grab it easily without fucking around. Anything else is just a completely made up solution in desperate search for a made up problem to justify it, by and for people who have far to much money and far to little common sense.

      Your ridiculous stretching to try to justify smart bullshit is doing nothing but showing how useless and how much of a waste of time, energy, and effort it is.

      • Emma_Gold_Man@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        10 months ago

        literally no one will ever have that problem, but lets humor your ridiculous made up bullshit

        Wow, your username really fits.

        Actually, it’s a description of some of the issues I’m dealing with right now. And yes, we’re DIYing it with RJ45 wired switching outlets on a separate vlan and subnet. And yes, we use a chest freezer.

        And yes, there are more automatic and passive ways to do some of these things, like planting deciduous trees to shade your south wall in summer but not winter. Not everyone owns their home and land though.