50% of customers won’t connect smart appliances

[LadyTevar]

Isn't part of the problem that large parts of the USA powergrid is older then my mother and hasn't had major renovations since I've been born and I was born in the early 1980s

Yes.
And another part is what I see here in WV -- power companies petition for higher rates every other year (or every year), and usually get it, but they're NOT using it to maintain lines. You can drive US Rt 60 from Ansted to Charleston and see dozens of downed trees still sitting on powerlines, all showing signs they've been there for MONTHS. There's power poles tilting like the Tower of Pisa that haven't been replaced.

Where Is That Money Going -- because it's not going to stopping obvious issues from becoming future problems.

[Jub]

Isn't part of the problem that large parts of the USA powergrid is older then my mother and hasn't had major renovations since I've been born and I was born in the early 1980s

That and, in places, most notably a large chunk of Texas, they don't connect to out-of-state sections of the grid to share power. Places like California also import power so if anything happens in British Columbia, California could see an electricity shortfall.

[Lord Revan]

It's kind of funny that here in Finland you'd probably would have to go into the most secluded locations of Lapland to get trees or what not fixed within weeks at most.

[bilateralrope]

"The States" is a pretty big place. The power outage problems are spotty. A big problem is you're in an affected area of, say, Texas.

We get the occasional outage due to storm damage (usually either 100+ kph winds trimming the trees or a tornado causing damage) but I think the longest I've been out in the past 20+ years was 18 hours. Usually it's just a couple hours at most, with years between outages.

What about internet outages ?

Because they would also kill any smart devices that require a server connection.

I've even heard of some smart devices that lose any ability to connect to the internet after a year or two because the wifi hardware in them is just that crap.

[Solauren]

I've even heard of some smart devices that lose any ability to connect to the internet after a year or two because the wifi hardware in them is just that crap.

You mean designed/intended to fail to require replacement or upgrade, right?

[Solauren]

The problems with the US power grid are well known. They were part of the reason behind the 2003 Blackout that lasted 3 days.
(Yes, the proximate cause as a software bug, but the rather problematic nature of the US power grid made the problem worse)

The other problem with Smart Appliances is brand reliability. If I buy a Fridge from say 'Appliance Company 2', I have decided to trust said company.
Now, if Alliance Company 4 buys up Alliance Company 2, well, I never decided to trust Company #4, now did I?

[Broomstick]

Yes, that is also an issue, especially outside of major metropolitan areas. Which is why sale of home generators is a pretty common thing in many areas.

[Highlord Laan]

"The States" is a pretty big place. The power outage problems are spotty. A big problem is you're in an affected area of, say, Texas.

We get the occasional outage due to storm damage (usually either 100+ kph winds trimming the trees or a tornado causing damage) but I think the longest I've been out in the past 20+ years was 18 hours. Usually it's just a couple hours at most, with years between outages.

Isn't part of the problem that large parts of the USA powergrid is older then my mother and hasn't had major renovations since I've been born and I was born in the early 1980s

That's a fairly big problem, yes. Everyone with a brain knows it needs rebuilt and upgraded, just like our decaying bridges, roads, power grids, telecom networks and sewer systems. But this us uhmurrikkka, so all that public infrastructure is the commieunism.

[Solauren]

That's a fairly big problem, yes. Everyone with a brain knows it needs rebuilt and upgraded, just like our decaying bridges, roads, power grids, telecom networks and sewer systems. But this us uhmurrikkka, so all that public infrastructure is the commieunism.

More like "That would cost Taxes, and much liked Free Health Care, we'd rather spend the money on other things. Like funding things of questionable worth, utility, or value."

[LadyTevar]

That's a fairly big problem, yes. Everyone with a brain knows it needs rebuilt and upgraded, just like our decaying bridges, roads, power grids, telecom networks and sewer systems. But this us uhmurrikkka, so all that public infrastructure is the commieunism.

More like "That would cost Taxes, and much liked Free Health Care, we'd rather spend the money on other things. Like funding things of questionable worth, utility, or value."

Taxes? No, it'd not cost taxes, because Electricity isn't "Public Utilities" in most places, it's Stock Market Big Business, so they do as little as possible to upgrade/upkeep so Profits stay High.
See my complaint about raising rates and still having fallen trees just laying on power lines.

[Solauren]

Taxes? No, it'd not cost taxes, because Electricity isn't "Public Utilities" in most places, it's Stock Market Big Business, so they do as little as possible to upgrade/upkeep so Profits stay High.
See my complaint about raising rates and still having fallen trees just laying on power lines.
[/quote]

Is that universal across the United States, or just in certain areas?
Also, are there not laws being violated with the trees laying there? That's public safety at minimal.

[Broomstick]

Like so much of the US, it varies from place to place and state to state. But privately owned utilities, as opposed to government owned ones, are becoming more and more common.

As for the public safety thing - well, there's what is supposed to happen, and what actually does happen.

[Batman]

Capitalism working as intended-the rich get richer, and the rest get screwed.

[LadyTevar]

Like so much of the US, it varies from place to place and state to state. But privately owned utilities, as opposed to government owned ones, are becoming more and more common.

As for the public safety thing - well, there's what is supposed to happen, and what actually does happen.

And what actually DOES happen is nothing is done until and unless that tree falls the rest of the way and takes out power to someone. Just laying there doesn't seem to be a problem, although you just KNOW wind's rubbing the wire against the tree.

Oh hey, lookie here... Power is out in the town of Boomer due to a mudslide that took down one of those leaning power poles I just drove by today while heading to Charleston and back.

[Highlord Laan]

Like so much of the US, it varies from place to place and state to state. But privately owned utilities, as opposed to government owned ones, are becoming more and more common.

As for the public safety thing - well, there's what is supposed to happen, and what actually does happen.

Much like politicians, businessmen are only ever dutiful and honest when held at gunpoint.

[Solauren]

Like so much of the US, it varies from place to place and state to state. But privately owned utilities, as opposed to government owned ones, are becoming more and more common.

As for the public safety thing - well, there's what is supposed to happen, and what actually does happen.

Much like politicians, businessmen are only ever dutiful and honest when held at gunpoint.

And even then, some of them require you to have proof on video tape, several witnesses, and their mother/wife guilt tripping them

[His Divine Shadow]

The last thing I want on my phone is yet another goddamned app. If it can't use the webbrowser it can go suck itself off.

[His Divine Shadow]

Isn't part of the problem that large parts of the USA powergrid is older then my mother and hasn't had major renovations since I've been born and I was born in the early 1980s

Yes.
And another part is what I see here in WV -- power companies petition for higher rates every other year (or every year), and usually get it, but they're NOT using it to maintain lines. You can drive US Rt 60 from Ansted to Charleston and see dozens of downed trees still sitting on powerlines, all showing signs they've been there for MONTHS. There's power poles tilting like the Tower of Pisa that haven't been replaced.

Where Is That Money Going -- because it's not going to stopping obvious issues from becoming future problems.

Reminds me a bit of Finland and applies to Sweden as well. You got loads of every day people complaining about all the extra taxes nowadays and how everything is getting more expensive all the time compared to the glory years in the 80s and how we're living in a left wing dyswoketopia one step away from communism.

But when you actually look at the data the overall tax "pressure" in Finland (and Sweden) has never been lower! It's been on a downward trend for decades and it's only getting lower. The state is taxing less of the economy than in say the 1980s. The public sector has shrunk too. And in the 80s, the time that most conservatives say they would love to return to, the overall tax rate was way higher and the public sector was bigger.

So what happened? The rich got tax breaks and taxation was moved downwards in order to try and maintain the infrastructure and welfare state. So sure, taxation overall has never been lower, but it's fallen on all the average joes who voted in tax breaks for the rich to pay for it. Yet they still complain about our increasing debt and how lousy public services are becoming, due to lack of funds. Well. They don't know do they.... They never bothered figuring it out and nobody in the media is telling it like it is.