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Re:Two-thirds of North America at risk of energy shortages d... by fragmede on Saturday May 27, 2023 @07:58PM (#36099700)
That's a neat idea and all but what do you do when it's -20° out? Everyone around you simultaneously needs heating but no one's trying tumble dry anything.

but you've hit your daily limit? It's one thing to charge your Tesla later, it's anything

Re:Two-thirds of North America at risk of energy shortages d... by WalterBright on Saturday May 27, 2023 @09:09PM (#36100126)
If you live in an area that can drop to -20, you should be prepared for HVAC failure.

Just like when I lived in Iowa, the car always had blankets in the trunk. When I lived in Arizona, there was always a gallon of drinking water in the trunk (it works in the radiator, too!).

Just common sense.

Re:Two-thirds of North America at risk of energy shortages d... by jonhohle on Saturday May 27, 2023 @11:46PM (#36100950)
While I completely agree with you (and still carry blankets in my trunk in AZ!) the freeze in Texas was an anomaly that may nor may not have been reasonable to plan for:

> Texas experienced temperatures over 50 °F [28 °C] below normal. Records more than a century old were broken

How many people have planned and can execute plans for once in a century events that happen at scale?

I’d consider myself more prepared than most, but if a large chunk of Phoenix lost power in the middle of the summer for more than 24 hours, I think the result would be even worse. There was a study from a few days ago that predicted >12k deaths during a heat wave+power outage. That makes me reconsider not getting whole house batteries ;-)