Why millions of Americans give up control of their thermostats
Why millions of Americans give up control of their thermostats
Utilities are tapping into customers’ solar panels, home batteries and smart thermostats to avoid blackouts in a program establishing “virtual power plants.”
FtfA: “who signed up for the energy-saving program in exchange for a discount on her monthly power bill.”
But there are other reasons - willingness to have temporary higher temps in exchange for fewer/no brownouts/blackouts.
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.
But but but muh ffreedum!
Yeah fuck all that. They can keep their discount.