Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > sci.physics > #539110 > unrolled thread

The little box that controls half your home’s energy use

Back to article view | Back to sci.physics

Contents

  The little box that controls half your home’s energy use Sam Wormley <swormley1@gmail.com> - 2015-12-14 11:43 -0600
    Re: The little box that controls half your home's energy use "reber g=emc^2" <herbertglazier0@gmail.com> - 2015-12-14 10:35 -0800
    Re: The little box that controls half your home’s energy use gilber34 <fafa@invalid.com> - 2015-12-14 13:11 -0600
    Re: The little box that controls half your home’s energy use jimp@specsol.spam.sux.com - 2015-12-14 19:47 +0000

#539110 — The little box that controls half your home’s energy use

The little box that controls half your home’s energy use
> http://arstechnica.com/science/2015/12/the-little-box-that-controls-half-your-homes-energy-use/


> A thermostat can be such a simple device—so dumb a device if we’re
> feeling 21st Century snobby—that a strip of metal coiled up with a
> droplet of mercury at the end can do the job. The coil contracts as
> it cools, the mercury shifts to touch two wires and close a circuit,
> and on goes your furnace. Prefer a different temperature? Rotate the
> coil.
>
> Simple is great, but that dumb device is responsible for a huge
> portion of your energy bill. That means constant adjustments are
> necessary if you want to avoid wasting energy overheating your house
> while you’re tucked into bed or away at work. This is the part of the
> story where the programmable thermostat walked in, offering
> automation in exchange for up-front fiddling. But a surprisingly
> large percentage of people with programmable thermostats don’t
> actually program them. In fact, the US EPA stopped offering “Energy
> Star” certification for programmable thermostats entirely in 2009
> because their real-world impact was so unpredictable.
>
> That's a problem, but the Nest Learning Thermostat has gained a
> following in the last few years by offering a solution—it programs
> itself as you turn it up or down throughout the week. The very same
> smarts that allow the device to program itself open other doors to
> efficiency as well. And at the company's Palo Alto offices, this
> seems to be just the beginning. Today, Nest is still working on its
> flagship device to make homes more energy-efficient.



-- 

sci.physics is an unmoderated newsgroup dedicated
to the discussion of physics, news from the physics
community, and physics-related social issues.

[toc] | [next] | [standalone]

#539117 — Re: The little box that controls half your home's energy use

On Monday, December 14, 2015 at 9:43:43 AM UTC-8, Sam Wormley wrote:
> The little box that controls half your home's energy use
> > http://arstechnica.com/science/2015/12/the-little-box-that-controls-half-your-homes-energy-use/
> 
> 
> > A thermostat can be such a simple device--so dumb a device if we're
> > feeling 21st Century snobby--that a strip of metal coiled up with a
> > droplet of mercury at the end can do the job. The coil contracts as
> > it cools, the mercury shifts to touch two wires and close a circuit,
> > and on goes your furnace. Prefer a different temperature? Rotate the
> > coil.
> >
> > Simple is great, but that dumb device is responsible for a huge
> > portion of your energy bill. That means constant adjustments are
> > necessary if you want to avoid wasting energy overheating your house
> > while you're tucked into bed or away at work. This is the part of the
> > story where the programmable thermostat walked in, offering
> > automation in exchange for up-front fiddling. But a surprisingly
> > large percentage of people with programmable thermostats don't
> > actually program them. In fact, the US EPA stopped offering "Energy
> > Star" certification for programmable thermostats entirely in 2009
> > because their real-world impact was so unpredictable.
> >
> > That's a problem, but the Nest Learning Thermostat has gained a
> > following in the last few years by offering a solution--it programs
> > itself as you turn it up or down throughout the week. The very same
> > smarts that allow the device to program itself open other doors to
> > efficiency as well. And at the company's Palo Alto offices, this
> > seems to be just the beginning. Today, Nest is still working on its
> > flagship device to make homes more energy-efficient.
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> 
> sci.physics is an unmoderated newsgroup dedicated
> to the discussion of physics, news from the physics
> community, and physics-related social issues.

Mercury is a metal,and is a liquid at room temp.It being a good conducter it can get electricity flowing where needed. TreBert

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#539131

On 12/14/2015 11:43 AM, Sam Wormley wrote:
> The little box that controls half your home’s energy use

>
>
>> A thermostat can be such a simple device—so dumb a device if we’re
>> feeling 21st Century snobby—that a strip of metal

WRONG !   it is called bi-metal !

>> coiled up with a
>> droplet of mercury

Why mercury ?

>> at the end can do the job. The coil contracts as
>> it cools,

Why ?

>> the mercury shifts

inside what, and why that material ?

>> to touch two wires and close a circuit,
>> and on goes your furnace. Prefer a different temperature? Rotate the
>> coil.

wrong again, rotate the "coil assembly".


According to the Paris Agreement, Paris will remotly control all 
therostats in the USA.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#539147

Sam Wormley <swormley1@gmail.com> wrote:
> The little box that controls half your home?s energy use
>> http://arstechnica.com/science/2015/12/the-little-box-that-controls-half-your-homes-energy-use/
> 
> 
>> A thermostat can be such a simple device?so dumb a device if we?re
>> feeling 21st Century snobby?that a strip of metal coiled up with a
>> droplet of mercury at the end can do the job. The coil contracts as
>> it cools, the mercury shifts to touch two wires and close a circuit,
>> and on goes your furnace. Prefer a different temperature? Rotate the
>> coil.

Mercury tube thermostats fell out of favor decades ago with the rise
of the mercury scare.

What idiot wrote this nonsense?

>> Simple is great, but that dumb device is responsible for a huge
>> portion of your energy bill. That means constant adjustments are
>> necessary if you want to avoid wasting energy overheating your house
>> while you?re tucked into bed or away at work. This is the part of the

Most people are smart enough to turn down dumb thermostats when they
go to bed and turn them up when they get up.

What idiot wrote this nonsense?

>> story where the programmable thermostat walked in, offering
>> automation in exchange for up-front fiddling. But a surprisingly
>> large percentage of people with programmable thermostats don?t
>> actually program them. In fact, the US EPA stopped offering ?Energy
>> Star? certification for programmable thermostats entirely in 2009
>> because their real-world impact was so unpredictable.

Most people need three settings at most; sleep, awake, gone.

Most programmable thermostat are a pain in the ass overkill.

>> That's a problem, but the Nest Learning Thermostat has gained a
>> following in the last few years by offering a solution?it programs
>> itself as you turn it up or down throughout the week. The very same
>> smarts that allow the device to program itself open other doors to
>> efficiency as well. And at the company's Palo Alto offices, this
>> seems to be just the beginning. Today, Nest is still working on its
>> flagship device to make homes more energy-efficient.
 
The comfort range of temperature is not dependant on the day of the week.

What idiot wrote this nonsense?


-- 
Jim Pennino

[toc] | [prev] | [standalone]

Back to top | Article view | sci.physics

csiph-web