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Fellow Texans - Turn off your Hi-Fi/tube amps, hold off on baking and doing laundry

24.162.126.158

Posted on June 14, 2021 at 13:39:55
Krav Maga
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Posts: 2336
Location: Texas
Joined: October 19, 2017
From the Houston Chronicle article "ERCOT warns customers to conserve power in rare early-summer alert":


"The Electric Reliability Council of Texas is expecting electricity supplies to be tighter than forecast Monday because of power plant outages and rising demand as temperatures rise.
...
ERCOT said it expects strained grid conditions through Friday, and is asking residents to conserve power. A conservation order is typically issued when there are fewer than 2,500 megawatts of power supply remaining to meet demand.

Monday's peak load forecast may exceed 73,000 megawatts. The peak demand record for June is 69,123 megawatts, set June 27, 2018.
...
About 11,000 megawatts of the state's roughly 80,000 megawatts of power capacity are offline for maintenance, ERCOT said.

ERCOT said residents can conserve power by setting thermostats to 78 degrees or higher, turning off lights and pool pumps, avoiding use of large appliances such as electric ovens, washing machines and dryers, and unplugging as many appliances as possible."


As someone who experienced over 4 straight days of subfreezing weather without electricity this past winter, I'll be heading the warnings.
"All thoughts are prey to some beast" - Bill Callahan

"I'll be your mirror
Reflect what you are" - Lou Reed

"Blind belief in authority is the greatest enemy of truth." - Albert Einstein

 

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RE: Fellow Texans - Turn off your Hi-Fi/tube amps, hold off on baking and doing laundry, posted on June 14, 2021 at 13:46:22
Sondek
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You must also be thrilled with the non-legislation passed by our legislature.

The only thing clear is that the costs will come out of our pockets.

We got sold down the river once again.

 

RE: Fellow Texans - Turn off your Hi-Fi/tube amps, hold off on baking and doing laundry, posted on June 14, 2021 at 13:58:24
Krav Maga
Audiophile

Posts: 2336
Location: Texas
Joined: October 19, 2017
Yep, once again. :-(
"All thoughts are prey to some beast" - Bill Callahan

"I'll be your mirror
Reflect what you are" - Lou Reed

"Blind belief in authority is the greatest enemy of truth." - Albert Einstein

 

RE: Fellow Texans - Turn off your Hi-Fi/tube amps, hold off on baking and doing laundry, posted on June 14, 2021 at 14:53:50
tweaker456
Audiophile

Posts: 7681
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: June 20, 2020
I'm hearing that help is on the way.


So let us stop talkin' falsely now, the hour's getting late --
Robert Allen Zimmerman

 

Sending almost as much to the grid today as we consuming..., posted on June 14, 2021 at 15:21:48
Ivan303
Audiophile

Posts: 48887
Location: Cadiere d'azur FRANCE - Santa Fe, NM
Joined: February 26, 2001
Using 17kwh and generating about 33kwh.

Hot here but we use evaporative cooling for most of the house and have a fair number of solar panels on the roof.

Low consumption even in summer and lots of production on hot, sunny days.


First they came for the dumb-asses
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a dumb-ass

 

FREEDOM FROM REGULATION!, posted on June 14, 2021 at 15:27:12
Ivan303
Audiophile

Posts: 48887
Location: Cadiere d'azur FRANCE - Santa Fe, NM
Joined: February 26, 2001
It ain't actually free.


First they came for the dumb-asses
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a dumb-ass

 

What happens when EV rules?Fellow Texans - Turn off your Hi-Fi/tube amps, hold off on baking and doing laundry, posted on June 14, 2021 at 16:40:54
Audioquest4life
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Posts: 1842
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So, when everyone is scrambling to plug their car in to charge it for their next office trip or shopping spree...you can't. Your dead in the water as a shit load of EV cars tax the grid even more. I juts don't see how the U.S. is going to make this transition to EV when we cannot even keep the light on now.

 

It's called roof-top solar panels..., posted on June 14, 2021 at 16:43:39
Ivan303
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Posts: 48887
Location: Cadiere d'azur FRANCE - Santa Fe, NM
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Even with a EV it's possible to generate more that you use, especially in summer.




First they came for the dumb-asses
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a dumb-ass

 

Especially in summer is different different places. , posted on June 14, 2021 at 17:25:29
srdavis2000
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Summer is peak here. I can heat my house with my gas fireplace most days in the winter, but I use the central heat, also gas to even things out. In the southern US, we need a lot of power in summer for AC. There is no alternative for AC, but there is for transportation. If everyone had EVs we would be in trouble. Typical AC useage is 4-5 tons. You do the math.

 

RE: FREEDOM FROM REGULATION!, posted on June 14, 2021 at 17:44:38
AbeCollins
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I recall reading that TX didn't want to be part of the neighboring out of state grids in order to avoid regulation. We know how well that worked out with the deep freeze - and the residents paid dearly in more ways than one.



 

The recent TX deep freeze wasn't the first one..., posted on June 14, 2021 at 18:00:46
Steve O
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Posts: 12323
Location: SE MI
Joined: September 6, 2001
...apparently little was learned in terms of both system reliability and the true costs of a poorly regulated and managed grid. Now there's this. Is anyone paying attention?

 

RE: The recent TX deep freeze wasn't the first one..., posted on June 14, 2021 at 18:09:26
Sondek
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Not to worry. The party in-charge will save the day ...- for the power producers that is.

 

Have you considered mini-splits?, posted on June 14, 2021 at 18:12:36
Rod M
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We have a lot of solar panels. Generation this week has been 78-83 kWh per day, so we'll bank power this month and get creamed in December, giving it all back.

My office had no heat when we bought the place, so we installed a mini-split system and saved over using 1,500 watt foot heaters and got AC to boot. Surprisingly, I didn't notice much of a change in power usage with the insanely high SEER rating of the new products. We don't need AC that much like you do, usually just a few weeks of Indian Summer though we've been getting either hotter summers or I'm more adverse to heat because we use it on days we don't have to have it.

The main house didn't have AC and the heater and vents would have had to be potentially changed or replaced with a combo unit in the attic with all new ducting. The current system is in the basement with floor vents. Since the mini-split worked well and cheaply in the office, we went with a separate mini-split system for 4 zones, three bedrooms and the family/kitchen room. It works great and each zone has its own control. Rather than running the air on hot nights for the whole house, we can just cool our bedroom.

Our typical power usage mostly varies based on AC use which would add next to nothing or up to 300-400 kWh on the highest bill. The heater rarely turns on from April to October or does so for just a hour or less in the morning.

-Rod

 

RE: Especially in summer is different different places. , posted on June 14, 2021 at 18:14:12
Sondek
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Evaporative cooling just doesn't work well in high humidity. I wish it did.

99 degrees today with humidity in the 70%+ range. Feels like 107.

In these conditions there really is no other answer except AC, and insulation.

 

That's why I hate Florida..., posted on June 14, 2021 at 18:20:31
Rod M
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As early as April, it's too hot and muggy for me. What worse is that it's shorts and tshirt weather and you walk into a restaurant and freeze your ass off because the AC is blasting so high!

-Rod

 

RE: That's why I hate Florida..., posted on June 14, 2021 at 18:32:34
Sondek
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We had oodles of rain last month and there's currently a bounty of soil moisture boiling-off into the atmosphere this past week. Usually by this point of the year we're much drier.

But having grown up in the St. Louis area, I'm convinced there's few places in this country more miserable in the summer than St. Louis.


 

You might make enough to charge that EV ;), posted on June 14, 2021 at 18:37:38
Rod M
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28 kWh and nearly 17 hours for a 60% charge for $11.20. At CA electric rates, solar is a no brainer. We got 81.7 kWh yesterday, wahoo!

OTOH, my wife's Prius at 50mpg would cost about the same amount for gas and has a 400 mile range and can be fully charged in 5 minutes or less.

Solar does have issues if everyone had an EV. The sun doesn't shine at night and many places need to run AC at night, so you have a double drain and no sun. One pundit claimed that CA would need to spend $1 trillion or more for batteries to go fully renewable. Just think of the carbon footprint of all those batteries.






-Rod

 

But solar panels do..., posted on June 14, 2021 at 18:46:02
Ivan303
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Posts: 48887
Location: Cadiere d'azur FRANCE - Santa Fe, NM
Joined: February 26, 2001
Texas gets a lot of sunshine,




First they came for the dumb-asses
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a dumb-ass

 

RE: Have you considered mini-splits?, posted on June 14, 2021 at 18:46:25
Sibelius
Audiophile

Posts: 1364
Location: S.F. Bay Area
Joined: April 4, 2000
Exactly what I'm considering with our house. We have an ancient furnace and replacing it, and all the duct work and adding an a/c unit is ridiculously expensive. Besides which we really have no place to locate a condenser unit that won't be outside someone's bedroom.

What brand of units did you go with? In ceiling or wall mount? No solar panels here yet, but that's a consideration as the price goes down.

 

RE: Especially in summer is different different places. , posted on June 14, 2021 at 18:49:11
painter27
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Posts: 5057
Location: wi.
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do you mean the dew point is 70 ?

 

We generate about 60kwh per day max..., posted on June 14, 2021 at 18:55:25
Ivan303
Audiophile

Posts: 48887
Location: Cadiere d'azur FRANCE - Santa Fe, NM
Joined: February 26, 2001
but the local power company has the right to approve roof-top solar installation that attaches to their grid and they limit you to 70% +/- of the capacity of the transformer at the street. To go over that 10kw transformer capacity we would have to buy a NEW one and wait forever to get it installed. So we max out at about 7kw at high noon.

Even with that limitation we have about 5 megawatts in the bank over 2 1/2 years of operating.

More than enough for an electric car.






First they came for the dumb-asses
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a dumb-ass

 

RE: Have you considered mini-splits?, posted on June 14, 2021 at 19:25:55
Rod M
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Our first one is a Fujitsu 12K BTU with a wall mount, works well for a 500 sq ft room and is barely audible unless the fan is on full blast. For the main house, we went with Mitsubishi for a 4 zone system. Two bedrooms use 24x24" ceiling units. Our bedroom and the family room uses an attic units, 12K & 18K, with vents. The bedroom has 3 vents in the ceiling and the FR two with another in the kitchen. All zones have separate controls with programs. The ceiling units do make noise, but not much more than a fan. I can't hardly hear the attic units at all, but those are more expensive and require the normal HVAC ducting and vents and custom manifolds.

The nice thing about the mini-splits is the condenser isn't anywhere near as loud as a normal AC unit. I can be standing outside 10 feet away from my office unit and hardly hear it over the neighbor's typical AC unit 100 feet away. Using the mini-split for AC and the gas furnace for heat is the most efficient.

-Rod

 

RE: But solar panels do..., posted on June 14, 2021 at 19:37:12
Rod M
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A lot depends on the cost of electricity. Our ROI was under 3 years at about $3/watt. But then, average CA rates are 22 cents but quickly go up to nearly 50 cents. With the new Time Of Use rates, you can really get creamed.

-Rod

 

RE: Have you considered mini-splits?, posted on June 14, 2021 at 19:48:19
Sibelius
Audiophile

Posts: 1364
Location: S.F. Bay Area
Joined: April 4, 2000
Thanks. Our house is very small, <1500 sq. ft., so we could get away with either the wall or ceiling units. I've been looking at the Mitsubishi units.

Going to be high 90's near 100's hear later this week. Like you we wouldn't need it to run constantly, but it sure seems to be getting hotter in the Summer than I ever remember. Also looking at a whole house fan to use on most days, not sure how effective they really are, but outside cools off rapidly, so the theory of drawing the cooler air in seems plausible.

 

If nothing else...-, posted on June 14, 2021 at 19:50:00
Steve O
Audiophile

Posts: 12323
Location: SE MI
Joined: September 6, 2001
...- There ought to be public outrage. If I was a resident of TX I'd be mighty pissed just about now and would be looking for accountability and prompt change.

 

RE: We generate about 60kwh per day max..., posted on June 14, 2021 at 20:03:25
Rod M
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Posts: 16198
Location: So. California
Joined: March 1, 1999
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We have net metering, so we run backward or forward and buy the old rates. Soon, we'll lose our grandfathered deal and batteries might be an advantage. Our cottage has a separate system that breaks even if you're using a lot of AC and there all the time. Our current occupant had $1,096 in NEW credits a ~3.7 MWh excess that SDG&E pays like 3 cents for wholesale.

I wanted to add more solar when we replaced the roof on my office, but we're limited to a 200 amp breaker.

More than enough for an electric car.

I realize it's good for you and me. I just wonder where the power is when you're running the AC and charging the car and so is everyone else while the sun isn't shining?

-Rod

 

RE: If nothing else...-, posted on June 14, 2021 at 20:04:28
Sondek
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People are pissed. Very pissed.

But the legislature and Governor are more concerned about voting fraud.

 

RE: Especially in summer is different different places. , posted on June 14, 2021 at 20:06:30
Sondek
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No, relative humidity is 70+%, not dew point.

 

RE: If nothing else...-, posted on June 14, 2021 at 20:10:22
tweaker456
Audiophile

Posts: 7681
Location: SF Bay Area
Joined: June 20, 2020
Much Ado About Nothing


So let us stop talkin' falsely now, the hour's getting late --
Robert Allen Zimmerman

 

The legislature and governor...-, posted on June 14, 2021 at 20:18:40
Steve O
Audiophile

Posts: 12323
Location: SE MI
Joined: September 6, 2001
...-aren't concerned about pissed voters? Or is "voter fraud" more important to TX voters than grid reliability?

 

RE: The legislature and governor...-, posted on June 14, 2021 at 20:36:32
Sondek
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No elections are eminent. So, yeah, voter fraud is more important.

And for voters to do anything to change the situation they'd have to elect a majority of the "other" party. I'm not holding my breath. So, heck yeah, voter fraud is way more important.

Governor Abbott thinks the state has the money to finish that goddamn wall, but no money to fix the grid.

God forbid we return to a regulated market. That's communism. At least that's what the brainwashed sheep in my state believe.

 

RE: Have you considered mini-splits?, posted on June 14, 2021 at 20:45:08
Rod M
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Depending on your layout, you could likely do one wall unit and if it's a multi-zone system, they others would have to be either ceiling of attic/vented units. Putting multiple wall units don't work well. You want remote units to be on one branch to the units.

It's possible that two units would even work better. One on one end on the wall and another 3 room system with ceiling units.

-Rod

 

RE: What happens when EV rules?Fellow Texans - Turn off your Hi-Fi/tube amps, hold off on baking and doing laundry, posted on June 15, 2021 at 00:18:51
Stale
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E-Cars are mostly recharged overnight, and somewhat in the morning after arriving to office. Practically they do not affect peak demand.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane."

 

EVs will eventually create a new peak-demand period..., posted on June 15, 2021 at 04:16:44
dark_dave56
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Posts: 8381
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Joined: August 29, 2019
...and at a fairly critical time-slot. Demand typically does go down at night, so that is when utilities perform their required/necessary repairs/maintenance. If everyone runs home and plugs their EVs in to charge overnight, this window of opportunity will be lost.

Another "issue", that I just recently read an article regarding, are the limited options for renters and condo owners. The article, of course, focused on CA, since it is the largest US market for EVs, but this will eventually become a nation-wide issue as EVs are adopted (forced upon us). Most apartment complexes and condo developments aren't equipped with charging stations, or even the basic wiring/infrastructure to accommodate tenants/owners with EVs. Granted, these kind of residences don't have their own on-site gas stations either, but you can't just stop by a charging station and fill-up your EV in a few minutes on your way to or from work.

The article also dove into the already-brewing battle among property owners, developers, and local governments (who control the building codes). Property owners don't want to pay to upgrade existing properties, developers don't want to invest all of the additional capital required to equip new structures with charging networks, but politicians (faced with ever-looming "green" requirements/deadlines) are contemplating requirements for the availability of charging capabilities.

I'm not "anti-EV"--I just bought my buddy's Tesla, but I'm not convinced we're "there"--yet--in terms of the necessary infrastructure to go EV on a large scale.


"And today is for sale and it's all you can afford. Buy your own admission. The whole things got you bored. Well the Lord chooses the good ones, and the bad ones use the Lord"--a very dear friend for decades Michael Stanley (Gee)--RIP

 

Best of luck..., posted on June 15, 2021 at 04:48:31
Steve O
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Posts: 12323
Location: SE MI
Joined: September 6, 2001
...just heard on the morning news that many parts of TX will be seeing temps well into the 90s today and approaching 100 in some areas. Keep cool.

 

RE: Have you considered mini-splits?, posted on June 15, 2021 at 05:20:00
dark_dave56
Audiophile

Posts: 8381
Location: Ohio
Joined: August 29, 2019
I don't have the kind of split-systems that you do (mine is all ducted), but my home is divided into 4 zones, with 4 separate forced-air gas furnaces, and 4 separate A/C units. I live alone (well, with my dog, Dark) in an ancient 6200 sq/ft 3-story farm-house. I don't heat/cool it ALL. That would just be stupid (and expensive). Especially during the past 15 months of "pandemic", I haven't had that many guests, so there are bedrooms/bathrooms that haven't even been used in months.

Decades ago, I spent a bit of time in northern Norway with an old college roommate and his family. Every room in the house was independently temperature-controlled. Best heat I have ever experienced--no A/C--not really necessary in that climate. Electric heating cables in/under the hardwood and tile/stone floors. No "open-floorplan". Every interior door to every room was basically what you would consider to be an exterior-grade door here in the US. One (unoccupied) room could be 50F, but the other could be 72F. The heat emanated from the floor, so when you hit the hardwood floor getting out of bed in the morning, it was warm. Electricity (at the time) was dirt-cheap there--most of it hydro-electric.

I looked into the heating cable tech when starting this project--LOL. Initial estimates were insane, and US insurance companies rank that right up there with having an indoor BBQ pit in every room--regardless of what UL says.


"And today is for sale and it's all you can afford. Buy your own admission. The whole things got you bored. Well the Lord chooses the good ones, and the bad ones use the Lord"--a very dear friend for decades Michael Stanley (Gee)--RIP

 

ROI is a time-dependent thing..., posted on June 15, 2021 at 05:55:23
Ivan303
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Location: Cadiere d'azur FRANCE - Santa Fe, NM
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and I doubt I'll be around to see the solar panels through the warranty period, let alone pay back.

We use very little of the stuff and the one mini-split with heat pump that we just installed in the 400 sq. ft. Casita/horn/tubes/vinyl room has been more economical to run than the 220V baseboard heat that it replaced with air conditioning as a bonus.

I read what's going on in Texas and I think: "WTF, have these folks never considered 'grid tied' solar?"

Being right next door, I gotta believe Texas gets a bit of sun.




First they came for the dumb-asses
And I did not speak out
Because I was not a dumb-ass

 

RE: Have you considered mini-splits?, posted on June 15, 2021 at 06:10:04
srdavis2000
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I think that mini-splits are excellent if you are adding AC to a house without AC or for a room or two that needs extra help. My AC guy thinks highly of mini-splits. We entertained adding one to my old house for a room over the garage that was hard to cool in summer. I never did it. My neighbor has a large unit as well as a mini. I've never talked to him about why.

Our current house is new. We have a Bryant variable speed system. The compressor as well as the duct fan are both variable speed and linked. The system runs more than the old on/off systems, but at lower speeds. This system is the best I have ever experienced. It does a better job of dehumidifying than the older systems and the air and changes are subtle. You never feel cold or hot air blowing anywhere and room temperatures don't fluctuate. Our house is really open so we don't have some of the extra bells and whistles. One option is zoned control that allows individual room temperature control. We don't have that. We do have the premium filtration. The filters are 4" thick and pricy, but are only changed every 6 months.

We haven't gotten to the really hot part of the summer yet, but our bills so far are less than they were at our old house, similar size sq. ft. and both with 5 ton systems.

 

RE: What happens when EV rules?Fellow Texans - Turn off your Hi-Fi/tube amps, hold off on baking and doing laundry, posted on June 15, 2021 at 06:41:05
gme109
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Posts: 17817
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The U.S. has the worst electrical infrastructure of any developed Nation.
------------------------------------------------------------

 

We have relatives in your area., posted on June 15, 2021 at 08:11:22
srdavis2000
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We have visited a few times and I believe that you have slightly higher temperatures in the summer and we have a little more humidity. The wetter the air, the harder to heat, not that it will feel any better.

I grew up without AC, but a few hundred miles north. It got a little cooler at night where we lived and was less humid. I don't know how people survived in New Orleans pre-AC. I know that they had sleeping porches and later ceiling fans, but from late June through August, night time temps don't drop below around 80. That isn't sleeping weather for anyone. We moved north of the lake. It is typically 5-10 degrees cooler at night here and a little less humid, but still no paradise in summer. OTOH when those snow birds are shoveling snow, we are enjoying mild temperatures.

 

RE: Fellow Texans - Turn off your Hi-Fi/tube amps, hold off on baking and doing laundry, posted on June 15, 2021 at 09:36:45
dee eye why
Audiophile

Posts: 1147
Location: so. ohio
Joined: March 20, 2003
You lemming!!
It's your God given right as a Texan to waste as damn much power as you see fit.


.
Freak out...Far out...In out....

 

RE: Fellow Texans - Turn off your Hi-Fi/tube amps, hold off on baking and doing laundry, posted on June 15, 2021 at 09:39:22
When all of the various governments in Texas (municipal, county, state, school districts, hospital districts) eliminate all unneccesary lighting, reduce HVAC usage, etc., then I'll take ERCOT seriously.

 

RE: Have you considered mini-splits?, posted on June 15, 2021 at 10:32:25
Sibelius
Audiophile

Posts: 1364
Location: S.F. Bay Area
Joined: April 4, 2000
I think we'd look at a 3 zone for the bedrooms, all <150 sq. ft. and all in a row and a single zone for the LR/DR area, around 400 sq. ft. Hopefully not already locked out for this Summer, have a feeling it's going to be the hottest one yet.

Thanks for all the advice.

 

Update:, posted on June 15, 2021 at 11:18:42
As of 1 PM, the fountain outside of City Hall here is still running at its usual height (approx. 15'), and the large (approx. 6' x 4') two-sided LED sign outside the local high school is still on. I can only conclude that either ERCOT is either just covering their butts, or, this isn't really an impending crisis. Or, maybe the City government and the school district (two separate entities) just don't give a crap - which wouldn't surprise me.

 

RE: If nothing else...-, posted on June 15, 2021 at 11:25:58
dee eye why
Audiophile

Posts: 1147
Location: so. ohio
Joined: March 20, 2003
The way I see it, the people of Texas got the legislature and governor they deserve.
Just sayin'.


.
Freak out...Far out...In out....

 

RE: If nothing else...-, posted on June 15, 2021 at 13:00:04
I'd be very interested in reading any articles about the management of ERCOT over the past, say, 20 years.

How do I get on that Board, and, how much will I be paid?

 

RE: The legislature and governor...-, posted on June 15, 2021 at 13:28:30
Krav Maga
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Posts: 2336
Location: Texas
Joined: October 19, 2017
Unfortunately, culture wars eclipse common sense issues such as the energy grid. The news cycle only episodically focuses on the energy grid problems, but continuously focuses on the culture wars. Culture wars are "sexier". With both parties feeding into the culture wars, I see no end in sight. However, this focus will change if energy grid problems continue and the State and ERCOT continue to inadequately address them. A 1.29 percent population growth rate in Texas (only second to Utah), as well as manufacturing relocating to Texas, present additional challenges to the grid. We're in for a ride.

If the Texas Democratic Party chooses a moderate who focuses on common sense issues to run for Governor, they could unseat Abbott.
"All thoughts are prey to some beast" - Bill Callahan

"I'll be your mirror
Reflect what you are" - Lou Reed

"Blind belief in authority is the greatest enemy of truth." - Albert Einstein

 

RE: If nothing else...-, posted on June 15, 2021 at 13:38:10
Sondek
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Joined: May 17, 2000
Contributor
  Since:
April 5, 2002
If you're serious about learning of the situation, do some searching around the Hunt family's desire to turn Oncor into a REIT. Yes, the very same folks that tried to monopolize the silver market wanted to do virtually the same thing with electricity in Texas and SoCal. Or go even further back to how former Governor Goodhair allowed the privatization of our public utilities by his political benefactors.

We, the rate payers, have been fleeced and setup to be played exactly like folks in California were by Enron.

 

"...setup to be played exactly like folks in California were by Enron.", posted on June 15, 2021 at 14:05:47
Krav Maga
Audiophile

Posts: 2336
Location: Texas
Joined: October 19, 2017
And remember, Enron's Ken Lay was the man behind the deregulation of the Texas electricity market.
"All thoughts are prey to some beast" - Bill Callahan

"I'll be your mirror
Reflect what you are" - Lou Reed

"Blind belief in authority is the greatest enemy of truth." - Albert Einstein

 

And not just in Texas., posted on June 15, 2021 at 14:11:11
ghost of olddude55
Audiophile

Posts: 32332
Joined: July 14, 2017
One of the Texas power companies that suffered huge losses when it had to spend ridiculous amounts of money buying power on the spot market has a subsidiary in Minnesota and is raising rates there to cover losses in Texas.
Issues of regulation aside, I think what we're really seeing here is the end of the myth of infinite growth.



The blissful counterstroke-a considerable new message.

 

RE: "...setup to be played exactly like folks in California were by Enron.", posted on June 15, 2021 at 14:36:59
Sondek
Audiophile

Posts: 9601
Location: Fort Worth
Joined: May 17, 2000
Contributor
  Since:
April 5, 2002
Yep. It's long and sordid story about how we got where we is.

At the center of it all is greed, greed and more greed.

 

Current Electricity Situation, posted on June 15, 2021 at 16:04:19
I think that I posted this in the wrong sub-reply earlier, so, here:

"As of 1 PM, the fountain outside of City Hall here is still running at its usual height (approx. 15'), and the large (approx. 6' x 4') two-sided LED sign outside the local high school is still on. I can only conclude that either ERCOT is either just covering their butts, or, this isn't really an impending crisis. Or, maybe the City government and the school district (two separate entities) just don't give a crap - which wouldn't surprise me.

As of 1 PM, the fountain outside of City Hall here is still running at its usual height (approx. 15'), and the large (approx. 6' x 4') two-sided LED sign outside the local high school is still on. I can only conclude that either ERCOT is either just covering their butts, or, this isn't really an impending crisis. Or, maybe the City government and the school district (two separate entities) just don't give a crap - which wouldn't surprise me."

 

RE: You might make enough to charge that EV ;), posted on June 15, 2021 at 21:25:17
lokalbrown
Audiophile

Posts: 31
Joined: September 21, 2020
Have you heard anymore about the battery storage facility their building in Otay Mesa?

 

RE: EVs will eventually create a new peak-demand period..., posted on June 16, 2021 at 02:42:45
Audioquest4life
Audiophile

Posts: 1842
Joined: March 6, 2004
Agree...-with the further transition to EVs over the years, we will create a new peak demand period, the night time period, which has been as you described, previously been the time that energy suppliers do maintenance. It will not be a trickle charge, it will be a major drain on the grid as we get more EVs. The 240 volt super fast chargers eat about 7200 watts an hour @30 amps. Can you imagine telling EV car owners to charge at intervals in the night, this block will charger at 1200am, this block at 0100 am. It is not practical, people have different lives and not all are night sleepers as they may work at night. It's going to be jacked until the U.S. gets the electrical infrastructure up to par. This is called strategic planning.

 

"Strategic Planning" is not something we're good at (in general)..., posted on June 16, 2021 at 04:01:46
dark_dave56
Audiophile

Posts: 8381
Location: Ohio
Joined: August 29, 2019
...we tend (more often than not) to put "the cart before the horse", so to speak. We set unrealistic/lofty goals, enact legislation/regulations to mandate/enforce them, and then scramble like hell to figure out how to get there from here.

We did this with vehicles in the 70's and 80's--CAFE standards, emissions requirements, and passenger/crash safety mandates that the auto industry was not prepared to meet.

Some of these "zero emissions" and/or "negative carbon footprint" goals/objectives/mandates are not (and most likely cannot) going to be met with the existing technology and infrastructure that we currently have available.

Biden--and this is not to be political--he's just another "talking head"--wants all gov't fleet vehicles to be US-sourced, zero-emission, and union-manufactured. It's a good thing he didn't specify a date, because such a vehicle does not even currently exist. EVs and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles are here (in the US), but none of them check all three boxes--too much imported/foreign content and/or built in non-union facilities (like my Tesla). No one has even figured out where you would plug them in or re-fuel them if they actually got them.


"And today is for sale and it's all you can afford. Buy your own admission. The whole things got you bored. Well the Lord chooses the good ones, and the bad ones use the Lord"--a very dear friend for decades Michael Stanley (Gee)--RIP

 

RE: EVs will eventually create a new peak-demand period..., posted on June 16, 2021 at 07:01:07
"It's going to be jacked until the U.S. gets the electrical infrastructure up to par."

Which, in my opinion and observation, will never happen.

Anyway, back to ERCOT... I'm not sure why it's named the "Electric Reliability Council Of Texas", since there's nothing reliable about our electricity. "Most" of the time, it works well and is fine. But, any random group of power grid engineers could do that.

The hard part is to make it work - and be RELIABLE (there's a word) - in the extreme situations, such as unusually cold winters (we've had several over the past few decades) and unusually hot summers (remember several years ago when it was over 100 degrees for something like a month and a half here in north Texas?). What, exactly, do these non-brainiac politicians do, besides talk about stuff during expensive lunches and dinners?

As I noted in a post yesterday, the decorative fountain outside City Hall was running full tilt, and the large double-sided LED sign outside the local high school was also running as usual. Maybe they didn't get the message that we're supposed to conserve electricity usage, even though it's been all over the news for three days now.

To be fair, government at all levels normally fails to deliver high quality at reasonable cost in practically everything they do.

I could go on, but don't get me started.

 

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