Directly Control Specific Appliances To Shed Load

The SecureMesh™ Certified FA Remote Appliance Controller (RAC) is a full-featured load control switch enabled with 2-way communications via the SecureMesh NAN to allow a utility to turn on and off specific appliances during peak demand periods. Up to four relays can be controlled by the FA RAC, permitting such appliances as water heaters, pool pumps, and air conditioners to be turned on or off by a single device. Load management saves money for both a utility and its customers by reducing the need for generation capacity and minimizing the amount of energy the utility must purchase on the open market at peak demand periods.

Utility Control of Consumer Appliances

The SecureMesh Certified FA RAC provides a utility with a powerful method to shed load during peak demand periods by directly controlling the operation of specific appliances. Consumers who sign up for demand-side management programs agree to allow the utility to remotely turn off energyhungry appliances during peak demand periods. Device shutoff can be triggered by Critical Peak Pricing events, by medium or high Time-Of-Use rate tiers, or as desired by the utility. Future upgrades to the FA RAC firmware and Trilliant’s head-end software will provide a variety of dutycycling options and allow consumers to set individual preferences through the UnitySuite™ Consumer Portal.

SecureMesh Connectivity to Energy-Hungry Appliances

The SecureMesh Certified FA RAC provides two 5-Amp relays and either one or two 30-Amp relays. Compatible with virtually all air conditioning units, the FA RAC can also remotely control electric water heaters, pool pumps, and other auxiliary appliances. With an embedded SecureMesh NAN radio, the FA RAC is time-synchronized to the SecureMesh Neighborhood Area Network and has full 2-way connectivity to the network head-end. All the radio circuitry is incorporated in the door of the enclosure, facilitating maintenance and making possible easy retrofit of existing load control devices to become a part of the SecureMesh Neighborhood Area Network.

Load Curtailment As Needed

Using the SecureMesh Certified FA RAC, a utility can curtail load exactly when and where needed by either scheduling load shedding events in advance or by initiating new events as needed. Because the devices are addressable individually or as groups, load shedding can be implemented network-wide or as pre-defined groups selected by geographic area, postal code, billing type, substation, or other criteria. For an FA RAC, each load shedding event is characterized by a specific start date and time, duration, cycle time and duty cycle percentage, and the intervals over which the start and end times should be randomized. The duty cycle percentage defines the amount of time the relay will be open over the cycle time, which then repeats for the duration of the event. The actual duration of the event will be adjusted by however much the start and end time has been randomized.