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The central regulation of thermostats is actually a good idea if one considers the alternatives. But instead of defending this idea, I would like to suggest a better one: central control of pool pumps.
No one suffers a loss of quality of life if their pool pump goes off for a spell on a summer afternoon.
So here is the easiest way to give the power companies something that they badly need: control over demand as well as over supply.
Here's the choice we face: We can build power plants for every possible contingency in terms of peak power needs, or we can provide the power company with some means to smooth out the extremes.
As an engineer by training, I would much prefer a system in which the possibility of managing crises is maximized.
Siegfried Othmer