The US electric company arbitrarily raised the temperature in the customer’s house during the heat wave to save electricity

Texas power companies arbitrarily raised the temperature of some customers’ homes last week by remotely controlling their smart thermostats, Khou11 reported June 17.

Specifically, some residents in the state, which is facing an extreme heat wave, said last week they noticed their homes suddenly became much warmer, even when they were running the air conditioner. Many people are even awakened from their sleep by sweat and heatstroke from unexpectedly hot indoor temperatures.

As it turned out, they had unwittingly signed up for a thermostat in an energy-conservation promotion called “Smart Savers Texas” run by a company called EnergyHub, in partnership with the state’s electricity companies. operating. This program allows EnergyHub to adjust participants’ smart thermostats remotely during times of peak energy demand on the grid, in exchange for the customer’s participation in the sweepstakes.

A smart thermostat is a device that regulates the temperature, can connect to other smart devices and is responsible for controlling the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system of the house.

Thermostats are common devices in Western countries, when many types of devices are used for heating and cooling in the home.

Not long ago, Texas was facing major hurricanes, which overwhelmed the entire state’s power grid. As a result, millions of people are without electricity or clean water. Currently, the state is dealing with a major heat wave, prompting the state’s top energy regulator to issue a notice asking residents to save electricity in their daily lives.

CenterPoint Energy, a major energy supplier in Texas, said that it “conducted an experimental cut-off event from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.” on June 16, and that in its direction, EnergyHub “was regulate thermostats for registered customers.”

“In a demand event, Smart Savers Texas will increase the temperature on thermostats by up to 4 degrees to reduce energy consumption and reduce strain on the grid,” said Erika Diamond, vice president of guest solutions. EnergyHub products, share. He also added that “the ability to reduce energy consumption is critical to grid management, in Texas and across the country.”

Diamond also said that thermostat owners often receive program offers from equipment manufacturers or energy suppliers via a mobile app or email, and “everyone who participates actively agrees to participate in the program.” agree to the terms of the program and may opt out of the event at any time.”

The company representative also said that the event “meeting demand” happens rarely, about two to eight times each summer.

But EnergyHub did not immediately respond to a question about whether the company informed participants before adjusting their thermostats.

The Texas grid is overloaded during the summer, and the government is looking for ways for residents to save electricity.

However, it seems that the residents don’t like the temperature in the house being controlled like this by others.

Brandon English, who lives in the Deer Park area, said the high temperatures took a toll on his 3-month-old daughter. He said the family’s thermostat had been changed remotely, raising the temperature of their home in a three-hour “energy-saving event”. He turned off the thermostat immediately after the above incident.

“She’s only 3 months old. They lose water very quickly,” English said. “I wouldn’t want anyone else to control my things.”

Many others also expressed concerns about privacy and safety. Many people later admitted that they themselves did not know what they signed up for.

Refer to BI