22,000 Colorado Households Lose Control of Their Home Thermostats During Heat Wave as Power Company Locks Out Air Conditioning Use

Drinkthekoolaid · Sep 1, 2022

The IoT is going to be abused in new and creative ways that people don't yet understand.

Keep things "dumb" and offline.

C3D · Sep 1, 2022

Easy fix. Enroll in the "Community Energy Program" and get the discounts. At your home, wire in a second non-internet enabled thermostat for your A/C and heat controls and have a switch between that one and the utility-controlled thermostat.

Get the best of both worlds!

Saltwater60 · Sep 1, 2022

This is why I refuse to have a wifi thermostat and I always will. I pay for the electric I use and will continue to do so as long as they continue to provide me service. My wife just told me I should have a spare when I told her I’d never have a wifi one. She’s probably correct.

Drinkthekoolaid · Sep 1, 2022

livingston said:
This will happen when that ESG score is implemented ....Every person will have enough power to run a 900 sq ft home. Go over that and they turn you off. Too bad you decided to buy a 30000 sq ft home. Freeze ....

You're probably spot on.

"No one needs that much electric/natural gas/propane" etc...

Buying an off grid house sounds better by the day. The authoritative attitudes are beginning to permeate deep into citizens lives

kev74 · Sep 1, 2022

.gov will take care of us! :ROFL:

GOPerfect · Sep 1, 2022

For the past few years, I have been seing all kinds of commercials and advertisements pushing for smart homes. All the while, I have been telling my wife their intentions.

Part of her thought I was nuts, she does not think that any longer.

They all all in on this. The government, private companies, the ignorant that live among us. Simple is basic and basic is good living.

LibertyWins · Sep 1, 2022

Yikes! I'm guessing everyone who opted in will be opting out ASAP. I would never opt in to such a communist control system. Stay off the grid like your life depends on it!

dwa12479 · Sep 1, 2022

Ok, so if we read the article carefully, these people voluntarily SIGNED UP for this program. It wasn't random. They took their rebate money with open arms and then cried fowl when the chickens came home to roost. They have no one to blame but themselves.

Uninformed and Compliant · Sep 1, 2022

Use A/C the least when the temperature will kill you. Makes sense.

Michael · Sep 1, 2022

Saltwater60 said:
This is why I refuse to have a wifi thermostat and I always will. I pay for the electric I use and will continue to do so as long as they continue to provide me service. My wife just told me I should have a spare when I told her I’d never have a wifi one. She’s probably correct.

Find yourself an old Honeywell t87 thermostat at a yardsale. You want the kind WITH the mercury in it. They are the Nokia 3310 of t-stats. Will practically last forever. Only works with heat, but you won't find a simpler thermostat.

It's also good to have a working knowledge of low voltage control wiring. With a bit of knowledge and a piece of wire, the communist thermostat can be bypassed and your house stays warm/cool.

Blimey · Sep 1, 2022

dwa12479 said:
Ok, so if we read the article carefully, these people voluntarily SIGNED UP for this program. It wasn't random. They took their rebate money with open arms and then cried fowl when the chickens came home to roost. They have no one to blame but themselves.

View attachment 171678

Yep, it's really their own fault if they are now shedding crocodile tears.

22,000 Colorado Residents Prevented from Turning Up Air Conditioning during ‘Energy Emergency’ | National Review

The affected customers had signed up for a discount program that allows their electric company to lock them out.

www.nationalreview.com

The affected Xcel customers had signed up for program with the company that entitled them to $100 enrollment credit and $25 annually in exchange for forfeiting some control over their thermostats.

“It’s a voluntary program. Let’s remember that this is something that customers choose to be a part of based on the incentives,” Emmett Romine, vice president of customer solutions and innovation at Xcel, told the Channel.

FRB · Sep 2, 2022

Saltwater60 said:
This is why I refuse to have a wifi thermostat and I always will. I pay for the electric I use and will continue to do so as long as they continue to provide me service. My wife just told me I should have a spare when I told her I’d never have a wifi one. She’s probably correct.

lol.... I love mine..... they will never be able to stop me from using my AC. Simply remove it if they try this garbage here...

speedkills27 · Sep 2, 2022

Lol I woulda re-wired that stat in a heart beat.

ManualF150 · Sep 2, 2022

Trust me... 98% people have no clue how A/C works, nor do they even know how that little gizmo works on the wall... sad, but true.

Paxal · Sep 2, 2022

FRB said:
lol.... I love mine..... they will never be able to stop me from using my AC. Simply remove it if they try this garbage here...

I wonder if the would come looking when the lose contact with a wifi thermostat?

FRB · Sep 2, 2022

ManualF150 said:
Trust me... 98% people have no clue how A/C works, nor do they even know how that little gizmo works on the wall... sad, but true.

It is basically an on off switch PERIOD! (A 24 or 12v relay that turns ac power on and off). At home I still use old fashioned mercury switches. Love the Wi-Fi one for my church.

Jmac00 · Sep 2, 2022

ok kids, lets calm down a little:
first, the utility company can only "hack" your wi-fi- stat IF YOU GAVE THEM PERMISSION. RG&E sent out notices that they would pay you $85 if you gave them control of your wi-fi stat. I told all my customers to NOT DO THAT, for exactly for this reason.

So those who lost control of their stat, was because they gave the utility company power to do that.

I LOVED my Honeywell VisonPro 8000 wi-fi stat. when we went to camp for a weekend I could turn off the stat and save energy, On Sunday morning, I could call it and turn on the a/c so the house was nice and cool when we got home.

meketrefe · Sep 2, 2022

Go Amish!

camper4lyfe · Sep 2, 2022

Saltwater60 said:
This is why I refuse to have a wifi thermostat and I always will. I pay for the electric I use and will continue to do so as long as they continue to provide me service. My wife just told me I should have a spare when I told her I’d never have a wifi one. She’s probably correct.

I have a wifi thermostat, and it's awesome. We just didn't buy it through the provider and opted to NOT give them the information (I believe we have electric through NYSEG, but are on propane for heat) for the thermostat, so they have zero control. This is a program that much be opted into.

camper4lyfe · Sep 2, 2022

Jmac00 said:
ok kids, lets calm down a little:
first, the utility company can only "hack" your wi-fi- stat IF YOU GAVE THEM PERMISSION. RG&E sent out notices that they would pay you $85 if you gave them control of your wi-fi stat. I told all my customers to NOT DO THAT, for exactly for this reason.

So those who lost control of their stat, was because they gave the utility company power to do that.

I LOVED my Honeywell VisonPro 8000 wi-fi stat. when we went to camp for a weekend I could turn off the stat and save energy, On Sunday morning, I could call it and turn on the a/c so the house was nice and cool when we got home.

Bingo!

And yes, wifi stats are awesome. We did the same thing while on vacation, and were able to turn it on for a day in the middle of vacation while the cleaner was there, then turned it back off until we were set to go home (I actually turned it on the day before so the house wasn't completely heat soaked).

22,000 Colorado Households Lose Control of Their Home Thermostats During Heat Wave as Power Company Locks Out Air Conditioning Use

20×102mm Vulcan