41 OCTOBER 2023 WorldWide Drilling Resource® See us at the WorldWide DownHome DrillFest™ Booth 7 & 7a Beware of the Rogue Water Heater by Britt Storkson Owner, P2FlowLLC For a number of years now, technology has been used and abused in a variety of very creative ways. Many have been concerned about government probing our private lives and affairs when they have no good reason for doing so. This is exactly what’s happening right now using, of all things, a water heater. How so? Enter the Demand Source water heater. It’s a water heater that can be commanded from some remote location to turn off or on - ostensibly to better manage the power grid. It’s partly true because if one can manage the electrical loads, one can more efficiently utilize the power distribution network. It’s also partly false because water heaters comprise a tiny percentage of the overall electrical load; the ability to turn water heaters on and off at will would net almost zero in the way of better power grid management. These water heaters are not only capable of responding to specific commands, they are capable of gathering information (like from your Wi-Fi transmissions) and feed the information back to the command center. I’m not saying they will do it. I’m saying they can do it. Perhaps some would not mind having this level of control and surveillance, but others would view it as an affront to privacy and a serious problem of government overreach. From the website UtilityDive.com, it was reported Representative Fred Upton from Michigan, described demand response as “a capability that allows a grid operator to remotely monitor and control residential appliances to reduce electricity demand,” and said a bill mandating it “raises serious privacy concerns that I don’t think are going to go over very well with consumers.” The problem is, this is not optional. In some areas it’s being forced upon us by law. The state of Washington is already requiring new water heaters to have this technology installed. Washington state RCW 19.260.080 (the law governing this action) states: (1) An electric storage water heater, if manufactured on or after January 1, 2021, may not be installed, sold, or offered for sale, lease, or rent in the state unless it complies with the following design requirement: (a) The product must have a modular demand response communications port compliant with: (i) The March 2018 version of the ANSI/CTA-2045-A communication interface standard, or equivalent and (ii) the March 2018 version of the ANSI/CTA-2045-A application layer requirements. In most areas, a permit is required for any new or replacement water heater installation. If you want to build a new house, you need a permit. If you don’t get the “proper” water heater, you won’t get the permit, you won’t be able to get the final “sign-off,” and will not be allowed to live in or sell your home. Similar command center control has been implemented with “smart” heating, ventilation, and air conditioning thermostats. Many are Wi-Fi capable and can be controlled from a remote location. Conventional thermostats are still available, and if I notice some remote operator fooling around with our thermostat settings, I will either buy one of the conventional type thermostats or make my own. Britt Britt Storkson may be contacted via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com
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