The Future

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bennie

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I predict for the future of domestic electrical systems to be modular devices with no wiring inside of walls. Conductors will be on the order of bus bars. Switches and plugs can be changed by simply remove and replace with plug in devices.

The electrical system will be part of the room decor.

Homes will have self generating electrical equipment, fuel cells, solar panels and generator inverter systems. Many power poles will go away.

There will be no grounding of the system.

The utility companies will rent solar panels. If the customer does not pay his bill, they will erect an umbrella over the panels. :confused:

Both AC and DC will power home equipment.
 
Re: The Future

Bennie,
For many reasons I would like to go off the grid.

I have also felt from day one that modular switches and outlets would be the way to go. Never thought about the wiring itself-- a buss system would be pretty neat.

Leviton has some pretty neat RF lighting controls. It's pretty pricey right now, and it's not modular.

I have an idea for powering electronic devices that would make a lot of the current issues moot.

Thank you for sharing your vision :p

../Wayne
 
Re: The Future

bennie,

You are on track with your predictions. I toured a house about 6 years ago on at one of the Armstong World Industries plants. In addition to different things they were doing it had two interesting concepts. First, the electrical was a bus system in a molded plastic baseboard. Also, there was no duct work for the HVAC system. Instead, the entire floor was the supply plenum with the ceiling the return. Cut a hole where you want a register. No internal load bearing walls, laminated engineered trusses. As Wayne stated though, most everything in the house was $$$ and therefore not into main stream, yet.

Tony
 
Re: The Future

I predict that the results found by Karl, and others who are concerned with magnetic and static fields will change houshold power systems radically.

There will possibly be DC power to some outlets. Appliances will be manufactured to operate on DC.

Wall outlets will be dead until put into use. The cord caps will turn on the circuit through low voltage, wireless transmitter, or fibre optics.

Equipment ground conductors will go away.

Temperature will be sensed on cable assemblies for homes. AFCI's will be history.

Modular wiring will be installed after the house is completed. Rough in will be minimal. Receptacles will be located only where needed. The receptacles can be easily moved to a new location.

Light switches will be wireless, touch operated, no moving parts.

The electrical material, available, when I began my career sucked. The same material is being used today. Other than improvements in insulation, there has been no significant changes in 50 years.
 
Re: The Future

Bennie, thanks for posting this thread, it has been quite interesting. I don't have as much knowledge on the history of electricity as most of the members here do, but in regards to your prediction of DC, I believe it was Thomas Edison that said AC well never catch on...it is far too dangerous.
 
Re: The Future

The first phase of my going off the grid will to make general lighting 12-volts. I usually just need enough light to get from here to there around my house. When I need task lighting, then I might go 120-volts-- or just go with 12-volt MR lighting. My normal lighting scheme will be dim lighting to get around. I will probably set it up with motion sensors so I am free to walk around the cabin.

For power generation I will go photo-voltaic.

I will put a hot-air solar-panel to pre-heat the air into my clothes dryer. When the 120-volts goes down I will use a clothes line.

For water heating I use hot-water solar-panels.

For cooking I will use Propane from Strickland Propane.

I have some other plans up my sleeves too.

I will rely on the grid for high-power items, but my off-grid power-system will take care of the daily basics.

../Wayne C.

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[ September 12, 2003, 03:01 PM: Message edited by: awwt ]
 
Re: The Future

You are starting to see more and more LV general lighting. A lot of it is usually those halogen lamps strung on aircraft cable or some variation of that, but it might be a preview of drastic changes to come.

One thing that might change drastically, maybe seen in the distribution system first, is to do away with power transformers and replace them with switching mode power supplies. Take up a lot less space, potentially waste a lot less power.

How would the bus system that you guys spoke of work out? How would it be tapped?

Thanks.
-John
 
Re: The Future

My idea John, is the bussing will be similar to the printed circuit concept. Sections will be capable of joining together by some form of pressure connection.

The flat buss can be mounted on the walls and floors then covered with the mop board or flooring material.

Someone mentioned velcro. Not too far fetched of an idea.

Locations of receptacles can be changed easily. There will be no wiring inside the walls.

This would be a form of wire mold, but would only be about 1/8th inch thick.

Interior wall panels can be pre fabbed with the outlet installed.

The printed circuit bus can include a method of supervising the circuit temperature.

We now have Lego block houses, why not erector set wiring modules?
 
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