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Texans regret opting into power plan that remotely raises thermostat temps

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Close-up of woman’s hand adjusting air conditioning setting on thermostat.

Enlarge (credit: Grace Cary / Getty Images)

Some Texas residents who opted into programs that remotely raise thermostat temperatures during heat waves regretted that decision last week.

Power companies in multiple states offer promotions to enroll users into services that let the companies remotely adjust smart thermostats’ temperatures by a few degrees when energy demand is high. These programs apparently worked as intended during a heat wave in which the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) requested that thermostats be set at 78°F (26°C) or higher to cut electricity use. But some residents who didn’t realize what they’d signed up for were taken by surprise, according to local news reports.

Deer Park resident Brandon English said his wife and their daughters, including a 3-month-old, “woke up sweating” after an afternoon nap during which their thermostat had been remotely raised to 78°, according to a KHOU story on Thursday. English said he unenrolled the family’s thermostat from the program after discovering that it was being operated remotely.

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