A Load control switch is a remotely controlled relay that is placed on home appliances which consume large amounts of electricity, such as air conditioner units and electric water heaters.
Most load control switches consist of a communication module and the relay switch and can be used as part of a demand response energy efficiency system such as a smart grid. Such a switch operates similarly to a pager, receiving signals from the power company or electrical frequency shift to turn off or reduce power to the appliance during times of peak electrical demand. Usually, the device has a timer that will automatically reset the switch back on after a preset time. Some operation intolerant appliances, such as dryers, use switches that can reduce or shut off power to their heating coils yet still tumble until signaled to resume full power.
Most load control switches have only one-way communication, receiving signals from the power company. Some are now two-way, which helps the power company locate faulty load control switches. Others are stand alone at the appliance and operate independently by monitoring electrical load without contacting anyone. Many electric cooperatives offer free installation of load control switches to their members, sometimes with incentives.
Load control switches can be a powerful tool to prevent brown-outs and black-outs when electricity storage, transmission, or generation resources are insufficient. It allows the electric companies to respond to emergencies without shutting off all power to customers. They also reduce costs for electric companies by reducing the amount of expensive electricity they need to buy from other companies during peak demand.
Famous quotes containing the words load, control and/or switch:
“The only human beings I have thoroughly admired and respected in the world have been those who carried the load of the world with a smile, and who, in the face of anxieties that would have knocked me clean out, never showed a tremor. Such men and women end by owning us, soul and body, and our allegiance can never be shaken. We are only too glad to be owned. Religion is nothing but this.”
—Henry Brooks Adams (1838–1918)
“Could it not be that just at the moment masculinity has brought us to the brink of nuclear destruction or ecological suicide, women are beginning to rise in response to the Mother’s call to save her planet and create instead the next stage of evolution? Can our revolution mean anything else than the reversion of social and economic control to Her representatives among Womankind, and the resumption of Her worship on the face of the Earth? Do we dare demand less?”
—Jane Alpert (b. 1947)
“Children ... after a certain age do not welcome parental advice. Occasionally, they may listen to another adult, which is why perhaps people should switch children with their neighbors and friends for a while in the teen years!”
—Marian Wright Edelman (20th century)