Sam Oliver
With another sweltering summer in the offing, New York utility ConEd is once again looking to ease the load on its aging power grid by offering customers a free outlet adapter that will turn a standard window-mounted air conditioner into a WiFi-connected unit that can be controlled from an iPhone.
As part of ConEd's coolNYC program, customers can sign up to receive up to five free smartAC kits — which normally retail for $120 each — from New York-based ThinkEco. The smartAC plugs in between the wall outlet and a window unit, connecting the outlet to the cloud and enabling remote control using a companion iOS app.
Using the app, consumers can turn individual window units on or off at any time and adjust the temperature, even after they have left their apartment. The app also keeps track of power consumption and attempts to quantify the effect of easing off the thermostat by equating energy savings with reduced carbon dioxide emissions and gasoline consumption.
Additional cloud-based software can be used to configure each smartAC kit to operate on a schedule. The target temperature could be automatically increased five minutes after a consumer typically leaves for work, for example, and decreased a few minutes before they usually arrive home.
The program does come with one stipulation: consumers who receive the kits must agree to participate in ConEd's demand response program, which will automatically raise the target temperature of connected units when the utility believes demand will be highest, easing load on the grid. ConEd says they will notify users one day before any event — of which they anticipate up to five throughout the summer — and that consumers can opt out of each event individually.
As an incentive for participation, consumers will also receive a $25 gift card at the end of the summer. Interested ConEd customers in New York can sign up at www.coolnycprogram.com/signup/.
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29 Comments
That's a "cool" idea. (sorry)
Good to release it on the two big platforms too -- they should probably release one for Windows Phone as well.
I think they're going to find that this is counter-productive. It seems to me that because electricity in NYC is quite expensive (cost me $0.33 per kw/hr in 2013, so far $0.37 in 2014), most people shut off their air conditioners when they leave their home, especially individual units.
If you have the ability to turn the AC on via WiFi remote before you get home or to set a maximum temperature at which point the AC will turn on automatically even if you're not home, people will use the AC more, not less.
And don't think it's really free. Con Ed doesn't do anything for free. It will be reflected in the electricity rates.
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I think they're going to find that this is counter-productive. It seems to me that because electricity in NYC is quite expensive (cost me $0.33 per kw/hr in 2013, so far $0.37 in 2014), most people shut off their air conditioners when they leave their home, especially individual units.
If you have the ability to turn the AC on via WiFi remote before you get home or to set a maximum temperature at which point the AC will turn on automatically even if you're not home, people will use the AC more, not less.
If someone forgot to turn it off before they left, they could do it from wherever they are. So that might even things out a bit.
I just bought yet another AC last week and I already installed it, because I know that this summer is going to be hot as hell, it always is, and I am going to be prepared this time.
I might just pick up a few of these kits for free and connect my ACs to the cloud.
I don't plan on running any ACs when I'm not at home, but I just want to be able to control them from iOS devices, just for the hell of it. And if it costs nothing extra, then why the hell not?