Re: X10 still around?

[Marc F Hult <MFHult@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Mon, 19 Sep 2005 21:34:46 -0400, "Robert Green"
<ROBERT_GREEN1963@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
<RaOdnSFgAOJE9LLeRVn-2w@xxxxxxx>:

On Mon, 19 Sep 2005 00:51:10 GMT, Marc F Hult
<MFHult@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
<8v2si15jbjkunvlbpem78a4m29cl1p68is@xxxxxxx>:

>> -- What is their efficiency ?
>
>An interesting question.  I wonder if HA really contributes to lowering
>the national energy consumption in any significant way?  Most of the
>existing HA technologies have a pretty serious "standby" current
>consumption that has to be considered.  In the next iteration of HA, I
>am going to try to lower the standby power consumption at least 50%.
>If Zigbee arrives it time, it could be a big help since its design
>addresses standby power consumption.


I once did a calculation of how many power plants could be 'eliminated'
(hypothetically) if we just all reverted to 100% efficient wall switches
from dimmers with their inherent semiconductor band-gap losses. Gave
pause for thought.

Progressive energy policy in this country has been set back by the
current administration. The change in the proposed January 2006
reduction in EER for new air conditioning from 16 to 15 EER is but one
small example of attack by a thousand knives.

Stubborn, ill-informed resistance to change like them folks what are
jist plain agin compact fluorescent because of what maybe usta kinda  be
is an example where 'we' are part of the problem.

Of course recognizing the cost of what we do and completing an adequate
economic and environmental analysis is part of the responsiblity that we
typically abrogate to the home builder for whom paying in the short-term
fro  long-term efficiencies can negatively affect their bottom line.
Hence sprawl, inefficient design and a litany of societal woes
reinforced by short-term profit by a few at the expense of long term
benefit of society as a whole (Can we count the ways Katrina shined
light on this too?)

There are many ways in which homes can be built to be more efficient,
self-aware and self-controlling. Why don't discussions in
comp.home.automation newsgroup more often include how computerized home
automation could address this?

Marc
Marc_F_Hult
www.ECOntrol.org