Topic: Smart Thermostats

Appalachian Power is offering customers a $50 gift card to enroll in the "Take Charge" program, which allows the utility to remotely adjust home thermostats during peak demand periods. Participants receive an additional $25 annually for remaining in the program.

During an "energy emergency" in Colorado, Xcel Energy locked the smart thermostats of 22,000 customers, preventing them from lowering their home temperatures below 78 or 79 degrees. The company stated this was part of a voluntary "AC Rewards" program where customers receive a $100 credit in exchange for giving up control during peak demand periods. Many participants were reportedly unaware that the lockout could be overridden.

Texas residents discovered that their smart thermostats were being remotely adjusted to 78 degrees by energy companies during a heat wave. The "Smart Savers Texas" program, operated by Energy Hub, allows utilities like TXU and ERCOT to control home temperatures in exchange for sweepstakes entries. Many users were unaware they had enrolled in the program until they woke up sweating.

During a Georgia election hearing, Russell James Ramsland alleged that a smart thermostat in a tabulation room was communicating with a server in China. Additionally, white-hat hackers claimed they were able to access polling systems in real-time during the runoff election.

A Nest thermostat in the Austin studio went offline, causing the room temperature to rise and requiring a manual override. The device is criticized for failing to learn user patterns despite its marketing as an intelligent, self-contained algorithm. The host expresses frustration with the unreliability of smart home technology and plans to remove the unit.