How does it know when the prices drop? Every night the cheapest times vary. Similar argument for fridges, smart tech could allow them to chill to bottom end of the temp range when prices are lower, and when prices rise only chill to required temperature. Would be great to help renewable sources.

Our prices drop between 22.00 and 06.00. If you can tell the time it's dead easy. The dishwasher doesn't actually need to know.

That’s 20th century thinking. The future is variable pricing, already available from several suppliers eg:

What you appear to be illustrating is that 21st century thinking is to reduce prices in line with 20th century practice, but call it 21st Century thinking. Are you in Marketing, by any chance?

Please tell me next time your off peak rate goes negative due to oversupply on the grid so you get paid for consuming electricity, then I’ll agree that we are still in the 1970s.

OK I'll bear that in mind.

I was going to say the same thing. Mine is 15 years old, has a clock. I set it to run 3 hours from now, and tada. Nothing all that smart.