Posted on 08/24/2009 4:15:57 AM PDT by raybbr
At noon on a recent day, Keith Henderson's "energy orb" began to glow red.
This sphere-shaped device, given to Henderson by Connecticut Light & Power Co., resembles an opaque crystal ball. And in some ways, it does tell the future on this recent afternoon, it's warning Henderson that, if he turns on his television right now, he'll pay.
He keeps it off.
"After a tiring day of work, it's just so easy to turn on that television," the 53-year-old postal worker said, "and then I look at that orb and it reminds me, 'Hey, you've got to conserve electricity.' "
Henderson is a guinea pig of sorts. He and about 3,000 other CL&P customers are participating in a new, ratepayer-sponsored pilot program that charges them different electricity rates based on the time of day they use power. They generally pay the highest rates in the afternoon when the region's demand for electricity is the highest.
Some, like Henderson, were given glowing orbs some that flash different colors to indicate when rates are high and low and others that change colors depending on the time of day. Others received smart thermostats and control switches that allow CL&P to turn on and off their air conditioners at pre-determined times of day.
Keith Henderson is participating in a Connecticut Light & Power program that alerts him to peak electricity usage and helps conserve energy. Henderson holds an orb that glows different colors and tells him the optimum time to use electricity. He keeps the lights off and the window shades closed during the day to conserve energy. (MICHAEL MCANDREWS / HARTFORD COURANT / August 4, 2009)
(Excerpt) Read more at courant.com ...
GAAAAAAAAACK!
I love how he is in the dark. Tell me oh orb when I can watch Oprah and Idol.
Make the Orb go nuclear slip it in Al Gores window.
HAL,I need some low cost afternoon power.
I’m afraid I can’t do that, Dave!
Big Brotha is watching you
Whats wrong with this statement????Hint, oxymoron comes to mind.
Mind control. Customers pay for the electricity the orbs and monitors use. Excuse me, but with temps over 100, my A/C is running.
Stupidity knows no bounds.
Why not just check the Internet, and figure out it’s all a giant hoax, and you are being laughed at, by the people taking the taxes.
I usually know when I have used too much electricity, when I get the bill.
Every time I see one of the stupid PG&E or Chevron adverts that say "we're in this together" or "do your part" or "use less of our product" I want to scream. What happened to the can-do spirit that our nation used to have?
I have never used too much electricity. I just use what I want, when I want - it always works out to be just what I intended to use. I have no use for global warming hoaxes and their taxes.
Global warming is all about marxists who think my usage is “unsustainable”, whatever that means. Global warming is all about the radical marxists using government to force me to conform to a lifestyle that they dictate - I’m not going to do it.
Global warming is all about worthless left-wing nutjobs who view themselves (10% of the population) are the rulers living a high consuming lifestyle dictating to the rest (90% of the population) how they must consume next to nothing, to just live like a lab rat in a cage. Do what you are told, live in your tiny cage, and you will be keep minimally alive.
We seek to have us live in 500 sq ft inner city stacked boxes, no car, walk to the grocery, hope we don’t get mugged, tightly packed mega-city. To me, that is what is unsustainable. I’m not participating.
Name one, just one, large city that is not a liberal hell-hole. Name one large city that has low crime and is fiscally sound with low taxes and high quality of services. Can’t be done.
Now, name one (or more) rural area that is low crime, fiscally sound with low taxes and high quality of services - easy, there are many.
I'm thinking - just "moron".
The downsides of the device was that the meter gizmo was too sensitive to position correctly on the meter; both gizmos were battery hogs; and last but certainly not least: it was "subsidized", that is, a handout paid for by either jacking up electric rates, or some govt taxpayer grant/subsidy.
"Ack! It's eating my soul!"
"Come on, Susie, look into the orb. It wants to be your friend..."
"I wanted is to watch some football and all I got was a socialist mind-controlling device!"
This SO looks like a still from some sort of Stephen King movie.
We have got to build 100 nuclear power plants in the next 20 years. We can do that. Right now, the administrations position is against storage and theyre against recycling of spent nuclear fuel. I cant support a genuine reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, unless nuclear power is a key part of it.
Orb that!
Since he invented it....he probably has one already.
Pavlov laid out the theory behind this years ago...
First they are voluntary, then they become recommended, then they become mandatory...........
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