“Who touched the thermostat” fights are getting more interesting with this trend: Oregon’s biggest power company is rolling out a new “Smart Thermostat” program, where THEY get to change the temperature in your home.
Other cities have been adding similar programs over the last few years. Basically, you install a smart thermostat and pay a little less each month in exchange for letting them control your thermostat remotely.
During peak hours, they up the temperature by a few degrees to reduce strain on the grid. It usually happens between 3:00 and 9:00 PM.
The new Oregon version limits it to three degrees. So if your thermostat is set to 71, they might up it to 74.
Some cities set the max even higher, like a program in L.A. that lets them to increase it by four degrees. But you can override it by changing the temperature manually.
So is it worth it to save a few bucks and help the environment? Or are YOU the only one who gets to mess with your thermostat? (KOIN) (Here’s a video.)
