“Most pilot program participants in the LG&E pilot liked the control of using their appliances how and when needed and noted little need to change their behavior when using their refrigerators, microwave ovens or ranges. That is understandable,” explains Nolan, “the only noticeable change in using the range is a longer pre–heat time, typically an increase of 5 minutes. For the microwave oven, the wattage used is decreased about 10% during peak hours.

Other examples of savings are:

• The refrigerator delays the defrost cycle from occurring during peak hours and goes into energy saving mode. One participant‘s energy efficiency efforts with refrigerator usage over 10 weekdays showed over a 20% reduction of energy usage during peak hours.
• Microwave ovens power down slightly by reducing wattage used when operated during peak hours.
• The “smart” dishwasher can delay starting the cycle to off peak times.
• Choosing to delay laundry to off peak time can help consumers meet their own energy efficiency targets. Understandably, interaction with the dishwasher and laundry appliances was noted as the most challenging by the participants.