Utilities are tapping into customers’ solar panels, home batteries and smart thermostats to avoid blackouts in a program establishing “virtual power plants.”
Why doesn’t Texas connect to the federal US power grid? It certainly isn’t freedom for its customers.
a Houston homeowner, didn’t have to touch her thermostat to pitch in. Her utility company remotely shut off her air conditioner nine times that day as part of a power-saving strategy
9 times a day? I get annoyed at setting the oven microwave clocks each time but 9 times would be too much. And each day! That’s not freedom that Texas wants - they want to keep a deliberately bad grid away from federal inspection that would require the company to spend money on upgrading and updating their shit.
I’m not in Texas, but on a similar plan. Initially it got me a free ecobee thermostat, now I get I think a yearly credit. It’s not much, but in the 3+ years I’ve had it I think I’ve noticed them adjusting it twice. Certainly not 9 times a day. And I don’t think they shut off heat/ac just adjust the temp a few degrees.
We have this program through Xcel and you correctly describe how theirs works. During peak periods our hold temp at the thermostat might go up a couple degrees for a few hours during peak usage
We’ve never noticed it due to any discomfort from the adjusted temp.
Why doesn’t Texas connect to the federal US power grid? It certainly isn’t freedom for its customers.
9 times a day? I get annoyed at setting the oven microwave clocks each time but 9 times would be too much. And each day! That’s not freedom that Texas wants - they want to keep a deliberately bad grid away from federal inspection that would require the company to spend money on upgrading and updating their shit.
But but but muh ffreedum!
I’m not in Texas, but on a similar plan. Initially it got me a free ecobee thermostat, now I get I think a yearly credit. It’s not much, but in the 3+ years I’ve had it I think I’ve noticed them adjusting it twice. Certainly not 9 times a day. And I don’t think they shut off heat/ac just adjust the temp a few degrees.
We have this program through Xcel and you correctly describe how theirs works. During peak periods our hold temp at the thermostat might go up a couple degrees for a few hours during peak usage
We’ve never noticed it due to any discomfort from the adjusted temp.