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Households may be powered off remotely by power companies

Staff Writer
From: The Sunday Telegraph
August 14, 2011 12:00AM

HOUSEHOLDS could have their televisions, airconditioners and fridges switched off remotely
by power companies during peak times under plans to rein in the insatiable demand for electricity.
The Sunday Telegraph can reveal the option is among a raft of measures being considered as part
of a national review into managing power use in the home.

Under the scheme, power companies would turn off household appliances for set periods of up to
half an hour at a time.An airconditioning unit or pool pump may be switched off for 30 minutes
every five hours while a fridge may be shut down for 10 minutes.

Households signing up to the scheme would be given guarantees by their electricity supplier they
would not notice any changes, in a similar way consumers with off-peak hot water systems do
not notice when it is on or off.

The review, being undertaken by the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC), has been
initiated by the Ministerial Council on Energy in response to the nation's increasing demand for power.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/new...-1226114477616