Utility companies want to take control of your smart thermostat

You’ve probably heard of dads telling their kids not to touch the thermostat, maybe you’ve even lived with one. Today, utility companies want to get involved. A growing number of energy companies have begun asking residents for direct access to their thermostats in exchange for a discount. The problem is that people will no longer have complete control over the temperature of their own home.

All of this is a response to increasing pressure and demand on power plants amid increasingly hot summers, including multiple recent record periods in the United States and Europe. In the past, power companies sent alerts to customers, asking them to conserve electricity. Now they want to access your air conditioner and do it for you.

To do this, some utilities use “hold” periods that automatically set your thermostat to agreed-upon limits. Users can choose a certain participation level that determines how long their unit is turned off and on, as well as their target temperature during particularly hot periods and when the grid is under unusual stress. The end result is that a home’s temperature can be raised a few degrees to stop the fan and ultimately reduce the power consumed on the grid.

The utilities that implemented this program scheduled it during the warmer months of the year. In the United States, this is usually between May and October. However, conservation periods may also occur during other periods of high demand, unusual weather conditions, and other times when energy costs are high. There are still other things your thermostat can do to save you money, but you may not be the only one using it right now.

One early effort includes a program in Maryland called Energy Wise Rewards. Under the program, homeowners receive a one-time installation credit of up to $80 and monthly reward bill credits of up to $80 during the summer. In addition, users benefit from a choice of energy-efficient devices free of charge.

This particular program works by requiring homeowners to opt-in to the plan, so it’s not just something that utility companies activate without consent. The service asks users to set a limit on how high their temperature can go when turned off. Another program in Washington, D.C., works the same way.

In Arizona, the power company Arizona Public Service (APS) offers what it calls a Cool Rewards program, giving users a $50 credit to their account. However, the website says customers are still in control of their thermostat and it can be adjusted at any time. Smart and manual thermostats can save you money on your bills, but people who opt for the rewards program to save money won’t always benefit when the power company takes control on a hot day.

There are several documented reports of homeowners signing up for these energy programs. In the case of one Maryland resident who joined in to help with the power grid, she saw her thermostat reach 81 degrees Fahrenheit when her power company temporarily took control of it. Speaking to local station WUSA, the resident said she had doubts about whether she wanted to remain enrolled after the ordeal.

A program in Ohio would also see residents enroll in programs to control their thermostats to better monitor the power grid. Local station KBTX reported that residents were split on the idea and felt that if it was voluntary, they wouldn’t mind being able to opt in and opt out as they pleased. On the other side of this argument, many residents felt that this would be a direct violation of their home ownership rights since they were paying for their home and electricity, and therefore should have direct control over how much they consume and when it is used.

The lesson everyone seems to learn is that there are things a smart thermostat saves you money on, but it depends on how you use it and what you agree to. This includes programs like these energy efficiency efforts led by local utilities.