Wednesday, June 3, 2009

We Are Fast Approaching Orwell's 1984


In George Orwell's novel 1984 the government took control of everything. I am sure it didn't happen over night, but it was a gradual change that the people accepted bit by bit, until it was too late.

In the progressive state of California a recent change to the building code requires that all new installations of heating and air-conditioning systems in homes have what is called a PCT (Programmable Communicating Thermostat). It enables the government to control the thermostat that regulates the temperature inside your home. If the government thinks you are setting the temperature too warm in the winter, they can adjust it where they think is appropriate for your needs. Likewise, they can adjust the temperature in the summer if they think you don't need it as cool as you think you do. After all, this is the government we are talking about. They are the ones who know who should run the banks and GM and what kinds of cars we need to buy. They really think they know how to run things better than we do.

Lest you think I am making all of this up, I have included a portion of Section 112 of Title 24 which describes the function of the PCT.
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SECTION 112 – MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS FOR SPACE-CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT
Certification by Manufacturers. Any space-conditioning equipment listed in this section may be installed only if the manufacturer has certified that the equipment complies with all the applicable requirements of this section. Thermostats6. All unitary heating and/or cooling systems including heat pumps that are not controlled by a central energy management control system (EMCS) shall have a Programmable Communicating Thermostat (PCT) that is certified by the manufacturer to the Energy Commission to meet the requirements of Subsections 112(c)(1) and 112(c)(2) below:
1. Setback Capabilities. All PCTs shall have a clock mechanism that allows the building occupant to program the temperature set points for at least four periods within 24 hours. Thermostats for heat pumps shall meet the requirements of Section 112(b).
2. Communicating Capabilities. All PCTs shall be distributed with a non-removable Radio Data System (RDS) communications device that is compatible with the default statewide DR communications system , which can be used by utilities to send price and emergency signals. PCTs shall be capable of receiving and responding to the signals indicating price and emergency events as follows.
A. Price Events. The PCT shall be shipped with default price-event offsets of +4°F for cooling and -4°F for heating enabled; however, customers shall be able to change the offsets and thermostat settings at any time during price events. Upon receiving a price-event signal, the PCT shall adjust the thermostat setpoint by the number of degrees indicated in the offset for the duration specified in the signal of the price event. The PCT shall also be equipped with the capability to allow customers to define setpoints for heating and cooling in response to price signals as an alternative to temperature-offsetting response, as described in Reference Joint Appendix JA5.
B. Emergency Events. Upon receiving an emergency signal, the PCT shall respond to commands contained in the emergency signal, including changing the setpoint by any number of degrees or to a specific temperature setpoint. The PCT shall not allow customer changes to thermostat settings during emergency events.

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http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/01/who_will_control_your_thermost.html

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