'Woke up sweating': Some Texans shocked to find their smart thermostats were raised remotely

[Dial H For Hero]

https://www.khou.com/article/news/local/texas/remote-thermostat-adjustment-texas-energy-shortage/285-5acf2bc5-54b7-4160-bffe-1f9a5ef4362a

Some said they didn't know their thermostats were being accessed from afar until it was almost 80 degrees inside their homes.


HOUSTON — Some neighbors in the Houston area said their homes have been much warmer this week, even while they are running their air conditioners.

Many of them claim someone has been turning up the temperature on their thermostats since the energy shortage began.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas asked Texans to turn up the temperatures on their thermostats this week.

(excerpt)

[Hekate]

1. Texas just keeps getting more & more dystopian

[jimfields33]

3. This will be standard in everywhere in five to ten years. Watch!

I’m not getting a smart thermostat for that very reason.

[ProfessorGAC]

53. Same Here!

They've making programmables with no WiFi, no wired network, no Bluetooth, for years.
And, we don't even have one of those! It's not that much trouble to turn a dial.
Besides, is there really a substantial benefit to having one's thermostat online? Even if it's a "turn down the A/C just before we get home from work", a battery operated programmable can be purchased for $25 & installed in under 10 minutes!
Why would one need their thermostat linked into the network?

[Dial H For Hero]

5. You can have my thermostat when you pry it from my cold dead hands.

[appalachiablue]

24. You know it. I can't stop laughing, great one

[moonscape]

33. LOL!

[Baitball Blogger]

11. It is, isn't it?

Is this what freedumb looks like?

[Hugh_Lebowski]

2. Probably more like Dads are sneaking to the thermostat, upping them, and not telling anyone (nt)

[dalton99a]

4. "In exchange for an entry into sweepstakes"

The family’s smart thermostat was installed a few years ago as part of a new home security package. Many smart thermostats can be enrolled in a program called "Smart Savers Texas." It's operated by a company called EnergyHub.

The agreement states that in exchange for an entry into sweepstakes, electric customers allow them to control their thermostats during periods of high energy demand. EnergyHub’s list of its clients include TXU Energy, CenterPoint and ERCOT.

English said he unenrolled their thermostat as soon as he found out.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

13. They have that in AZ

You get a free Nest from the power company, but they have access to adjust it if necessary.

[PoliticAverse]

6. Someone was outsmarted. n/t

[dchill]

8. That don't seem right.

[Lisa0825]

9. Many years ago, I was offered a discount on my electric bill if I allowed them

to adjust my thermostat during periods of peak use. Since I was not working at home at that time, I thought it was a good deal. It never affected me. (This was even before the days of consumer marketed programmable or smart thermostats. I think they actually had to install something. This was in Dallas in the 1990's.)

I am sure all these people agreed to similar plans, and either did not read the details at all, or totally forgot about it.

[PortTack]

12. Exactly..they gave them a free smart thermostat that cannot be controlled by the home owner

[PortTack]

10. Move the thermostat to your garage or other warm spot in the house..

[GoCubsGo]

16. It's likely wired into the wall like every other thermostat.

But, there's no reason one can't put a heating pad or a hot water bottle over it...

[PortTack]

28. That's an even better solution. Maybe put a table under it with a lamp and a 100 watt incandescent

[GoCubsGo]

48. That's probably the safest option.

[ProfessorGAC]

55. If Part Of The Networking Described Above...

...I'd bet $100 that those thermostats are monitored & algorithmically compared to energy usage.
Not certain, of course, but I think someone running that program also thought of the lamp idea.

[monkeyman1]

17. put it in the attic ! that will jack with them !!

[Aussie105]

14. You can build the infrastructure to cope with peak demand . . .

or you can dump the problem onto your customers.

Restrict heating in winter and cooling in summer, that way you reduce peak load, reduce future investment in power generation, and save oodles! Bottom line looks real healthy!

Too bad if your pipes freeze in winter and your house gets water damage, or you wake up sweating.

Big Brother has decided customers are subservient to the bottom line and reaches out to touch your thermostat . . . enjoy, Texans!

[GulfCoast66]

40. Best post here. They don't want to spend the money.

And own the politicians so are not forced to do so.

[Maraya1969]

15. Texas is becoming a third world nation.

[Lithos]

20. Becoming?

For full disclosure - I live in Texas (Austin)

[susanr516]

31. I live in TX

Believe me, we're already there.

[HAB911]

49. Shithole country

[ruet]

54. Maybe Joe Rogen Can Do An Entire Podcast About It.

[EX500rider]

57. I wonder if some have you have been to the 3erd World..

Calif. has had rolling blackouts in the summer also...also becoming 3erd world?

Actual 3erd world:

[Stinky The Clown]

18. I wonder what the temp is in Casa Cruz?

[monkeyman1]

19. abbott,republican trick ---- lie alot !

[smirkymonkey]

21. Had enough yet, Texas?

Vote Blue.

[IronLionZion]

22. I don't trust smart thermostats

if you get it from the energy company or sign up for some special, they have access to control it. Plenty of my neighbors have trouble with their Nest thermostats after bragging about controlling it from their phone apps while away from home. Then there are divorced people who their ex will mess with their thermostat remotely.

I like the old school manual thermostat that I have complete control over.

[CrackityJones75]

36. Not hard to stop them.

In order for them to access it they have to get on your home network. You can stop that from happening.

[aggiesal]

23. I'll bet when you signed up for your electric companies...

smart thermostat program, that the fine print states your electric company is allowed to access your thermostat.

One of.the reasons I wouldn't buy a Nest, because google owns them.

[LiberatedUSA]

51. And I bet there is a huge fine...

...for tinkering with it to go back down to a temp you want.

[aggiesal]

56. I wrote my response before watching the video ...

because what else could it have been?

After watching it, I pretty much nailed. It's exactly what happened.
The guy they interviewed for the news story, said once he found out,
he disconnected his thermostat from the electric companies program.

My electric company is trying to do the same thing, by offering a
$50 rebate on my thermostat.

[Mariana]

58. You don't have to alter the device to get what you want.

You just have to figure out a way to make the immediate area around the thermostat warmer than the rest of the house. Use your imagination.

[WarGamer]

25. Nothing worse than waking up at night overheated...

[Akacia]

26. Feeling a little dense here.

how does turning up the thermostat save energy?

[NJCher]

29. uses the ac less

eom

[Akacia]

30. thanks.

[Blue Owl]

27. The GOP's flagship state

[TheFarseer]

32. I lived in TX for 1 year

In 2004. Summer was absolutely unbearable. I barely went outside. I’m sure it’s worse now. Traffic was unreal. I swear to God they set the traffic lights to be red in all directions 70% of the time. The better to burn more oil.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

35. When we lived in Phoenix, my husband said that the only way

to dress for the heat was to wear an air conditioned car.

[Retrograde]

43. Summers in Phoenix can be quite pleasant

at least for the half-hour before dawn

For reasons that made sense at the time I've spent a few July 4th weekends in Phoenix: after the sun goes down and before it comes up it can actually be bearable - if you dress for the climate, wear a large hat, drink plenty of water, and move slowly.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

44. Assuming you think 98 degrees in that half hour is pleasant.

And again, dressing for the climate really involves an air conditioned car.

I've lived in a variety of climates: northern NYS, Tucson, Washington DC, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Denver area, the Kansas City area, and now Santa Fe, NM.

Boulder, CO, was truly wonderful. We didn't need a/c which is my measure. Oh, and my first four years in DC I did not have a/c. When I told my son that recently, who now lives there, he was stunned into silence, and suddenly had a lot more respect for me.

When we moved to Phoenix, when our oldest was not yet a year old, we'd ask people why they'd moved there. For the weather, they'd immediately respond. Hmmm. Not sure what weather they were talking about. The outdoor lifestyle, that was also referenced might possibly have meant sitting around a pool, drinking margaritas. But in our small apartment complex, I was invariably the only one in the pool with my kid. And when I put him in the stroller and went to the park nearby, I was likewise the only mom there. Sad, truly sad.

When we moved to Boulder, there was a genuine outdoor lifestyle there. My son was in kindergarten, half day. In January of his kindergarten year we moms agreed that on Fridays we'd feed our own kids, then show up at a specific park, so the kids could play and the moms could chat. Starting in January, there were only two days we had to cancel because of weather, which tells you how amazingly benign the weather in Boulder was.

Here in Santa Fe, I can open windows and doors in the afternoons and evenings, close them mid-morning, and almost do without a/c. I'll confess that about three years ago I did install a/c, and I do appreciate it during the extremely short time its needed.

[GulfCoast66]

41. I've lived in the Deep South my entire life. There is a trick to enjoying it.

Not just surviving it. Spend as much time outside as possible. We garden, fish, work and even eat outside as much as possible. Even in the heart of the summer. Believe it or not, your body adjusts.

78 is a little to warm for us at night. We do 76. But it’s 78 or so during the day.

People lived here long before AC. Not that I’m discounting the value of AC. Some would die without it.

I can’t stand a building at 72 degrees. I freeze!

68 is jacket weather for us!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

45. Part of surviving in the Deep South is that

places were built to deal with the heat. Higher rooms, open windows as needed. Those things really matter.

When I lived in Kansas, the home we bought had an attic fan, that we learned to turn on around sunset. It sucked the hot air out of the house, and minimized the need for a/c, which we also had. The only downside was that the attic fan didn't obviate allergy issues, which I have. But that's a completely separate issue.

I have lived in a variety of climates. I've lived without a/c in seriously hot places. With a/c. When we moved to Tucson, AZ, in 1962 we learned about the benefits of swamp coolers.

When we lived in Minneapolis, in the winter, we were on the upper level of a duplex. When I'd go down to collect the mail, it was probably 50 degrees colder on that lower level. Oh, my.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

47. I lived near El Paso one summer.

It was a dry heat, which actually helps a lot. Also, when the sun set, the temp dropped way down to low 70's. Very comfortable.

But still, the 100+ daytime highs were a bit brutal.

As a place to go through Army basic training, it was better than most.

[Mr. Evil]

34. How 'bout that big gubment, Texas!

And they'll vote for these lowlifes again and again.

Morons always get what morons give.

[nilram]

37. The only thing my thermostat is connected to is the wall.

[Maru Kitteh]

38. Well, I do hope it's connected to an HVAC system, otherwise

what an exercise in frustration that would be.

[Marcuse]

39. Reminiscent of the plot of "Demon Seed". Evil Home Computer blasts the heat, locks the doors and

has its way with the operator’s wife.

[GulfCoast66]

42. At least we won't have to hear them bragging about having their own grid.

Oh, they still will try. But freeze you ass off in the winter. And sweat it off in the summer. They make themselves targets.

But at least government is not interfering with business!

[Sympthsical]

46. This isn't even on the power companies. This is on the dumbasses.

They wanted something for free. It came with a contract. It was right there. They didn't read it. They just saw "free!" Or maybe a small discount on the bill. Or what have you.

This isn't an unheard of promotion.

I also love that 78 degrees is pretty much death to these people. Then why are you living in Texas?! Just a hard eye roll all around.

We try not to use our AC overly much. Woozoo fans will do us right up until about 95. Full disclosure: We're usually around 50% humidity, so this is possible. Then we'll flick the AC to 78. It's been 108 here the past several days. Oh yeah, it's on.

I have a little sympathy. I run hot. Always have since childhood. At night, I sleep with a fan on the nightstand blowing in my face. If I'm at a hotel, that sucker is getting put as far down as it will allow me to do. In winter, if I'm in the Midwest, I will crack a window, even if it's zero degrees outside.

So, I get it. But 78 degrees and a fan should be ok for just about anyone. They will somehow live. Don't want someone messing with your thermostat? Don't sign a contract allowing someone to mess with your thermostat.

[Lisa0825]

50. Exactly. nt

[BlueWavePsych]

52. BWAHAHAHAHA