“Smart Thermostats” In Texas Being Turned Up Remotely
The failures of the Texas energy grid can't be blamed on winter weather and "frozen turbines" again. This time the state is facing blistering heat as the grid has started to fail again.
As a part of this most recent failure, Texas energy officials have asked residents to make a list of "sacrifices". Some of those requests include turning their homes temperatures up, to turn their air conditioning use down. But that isn't going to fly with many Texans.
In fact, it hasn't. Many Texans continue to live they way they would be on a functional gird, which is why officials are now reaching into homes to make changes for people.
Reports in the Houston area have started to surface that say someone is changing thermostats inside homes. But not people INSIDE the homes. The "smart" thermostats are being changed from sources outside the home.
That's right, energy companies are heating up customers homes, against their will, from outside their homes, during a massive heat wave.
Deer Park, Texas resident Brandon English talked to KHOU-TV in Houston about his experience. English told the TV station:
“(My wife) had it cranked it down at 2:30,” English said. "It takes a long time for this house to get cool when it gets that hot...They’d been asleep long enough that the house had already gotten to 78 degrees, so they woke up sweating...Was my daughter at the point of overheating? She’s 3 months old. They dehydrate very quickly.”
How does this happen? The fine print.
When "smart" thermostats were being installed around Texas under the "Smart Savers Texas" program, residents unknowingly gave a company called EnergyHub access to their systems. That EnergyHub company actually works for the Texas energy officials, so when they want to take control of your system, they can.
So if you or someone you know has a "smart" thermostat in Texas, you might want to keep a VERY close eye on it.