Can Some Texas Electric Companies Change Your Smart Thermostat? Yes
Remember last week when ERCOT was asking Texans to raise their thermostats due to high energy demand? Some folks did it without even knowing they did it.
I have thought about investing into a smart thermostat and then crap like this makes me never want one. It looks like some folks last week noticed they no longer had control of their thermostat. This was during ERCOT's plea to Texans raise their thermostats to 78 degrees.
I do not know if all the people that opted into the program automatically had their thermostat raise to this temperature, but apparently some folks were wondering why they could not control it anymore. Looks like these smart thermostats have a feature you can sign up for called a green energy program.
If you use one, you may never notice it. A company called Energy Ogre (<Yes real name Google it) automatically forces customers into this plan to give them the lowest electrical cost. I'm not sure how many electric companies in Texas are doing this, but it looks like some folks could have signed up for it years ago. They may have never noticed until recently when ERCOT was asking folks to conserve electricity.
If you have a smart thermostat and don't want in this program. You do have a way to opt out of the program though. A company like Energy Ogre does say that if you do this with them, their is an early termination fee because opting into this program does get you the cheapest cost of electricity.
I would do some research with your particular electric company and also your smart thermostat if you have one installed. If ERCOT asks us to conserve this week, keep an eye on yours because you may have no longer have control over it. It's supposed to be another hot one this week throughout Texas, so I am expecting another call to action from ERCOT.