Power company controlling your room temperature

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backlash

backlash

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I just got a message from my Grandson in MO.
He said they got a notice from their power company telling them starting Monday the power company will take control of their thermometers and the homeowner or renter will not be able to adjust them.
This is supposedly them trying to stop blackouts.
I think I would be having thermostat problems before Monday. Maybe because the thermostat was in the trash can.
 
If you remove the thermostat the power company will know. If you add in a second thermostat, that is not tied to wifi/internet/bluetooth it should sit there and perk along silently. (two small wires and one thermostat).
 
backlash said:
I just got a message from my Grandson in MO.
He said they got a notice from their power company telling them starting Monday the power company will take control of their thermometers and the homeowner or renter will not be able to adjust them.
This is supposedly them trying to stop blackouts.
I think I would be having thermostat problems before Monday. Maybe because the thermostat was in the trash can.
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If they can take control of an ancient Honeywell with a mercury switch, I will be amazed :p. It is immortal and older than time itself :)

They offered that crap here, I declined.
 
dademoss said:
If they can take control of an ancient Honeywell with a mercury switch, I will be amazed :p. It is immortal and older than time itself :)

They offered that crap here, I declined.
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I confess, I had our mercury bulb thermostat changed out when we changed the entire A/C system. The old one did too many overshoots and undershoots. Wasting power with off-times too long between runs allowing the unit to warm up and have to work longer before it could cool, :mad: +2° and -2° was it's window.
Fear not, the new one is not 'smart', but it is deadly accurate at maintaining the temp between + - .5°.
The only one that controls it, is me (with permission from DW, of course:rolleyes:).
On topic: People above like LC mentioned will realize that when they relinquish control, it is impossible to get back.
Everybody here has seen the "Go Paperless" stuff on everything.
Nobody has ever seen "Go back to paper statements" because it does not exist.:confused:
 
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When we installed our AC they tried to get us to upgrade to the smart thermostat so we could qualify for the energy program and get a cheaper rate. We just can't go that route, the wife has problems with small temperature fluctuations and having the power company "help" us save energy will put her down quick. We have friends who boast about their power bill and then complain about 10 degree temperature swings just when you need it most. I don't think that $5/month is worth it....
 
UrbanHunter said:
When we installed our AC they tried to get us to upgrade to the smart thermostat so we could qualify for the energy program and get a cheaper rate.
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We already raped ours.
CNP was trying to get enough people to sign up to put a NG line down the neighborhood to run waterheaters, dryers, stoves, and winter heating on.
The electric co-op people went down the street and told everybody that if they didn't get gas, they would get the: "Electriconomy" rate from then on.(it totally rocks!
mosh-gif.80894
)
The gas-line never happened.
Sure we spend a bunch heating with resistance heating in the winter months, but there is only 3 of those. :oops:
With the higher efficiency A/C, we don't pay much the other 9 months. Easily 1/3 less than in the past. :D
9.8¢ per kilowatt hour....all you want.:)
 
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Turn of the Wi-Fi and they can’t control nothing, and if you have a little grey box at the ac unit out side it can be bypassed in the unit to override the load control but connecting your yellow wire from the thermostat to the yellow wire from the board on the heat pump, should be the y1 terminal .
 
Acdoctor said:
Turn of the Wi-Fi and they can’t control nothing, and if you have a little grey box at the ac unit out side it can be bypassed in the unit to override the load control but connecting your yellow wire from the thermostat to the yellow wire from the board on the heat pump, should be the y1 terminal .
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Bingo!
I know a little about the Y1 terminal.
People should remember: we control the machines, the machines do not control us. :waiting:
I just know someone will say: "Hey Alexa, turn the A/C down!"....
And a HAL9000 voice will answer: "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that":confused:
 
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I don't have a hackable thermostat but I thought I could share a little story that could be helpful for those who do.
When I was a Police Officer, in my later years, I would volunteer to work the dreaded, boring desk dealing with everyone who would call in or walk in to talk to an officer or make a report. Of course I usually volunteered more often in the summer because it was 110* outside and the desk was INSIDE. The Police Department only had thermometers on the wall and a central computer had the temps set for each zone so no one could turn anything up or down. Well, :ghostly: the thermostat for the foyer where the desk was located happened to be on the wall about 12" over the back counter behind the desk. I always enjoyed the pleasant aroma of a small candle that I innocently placed on the counter directly under the thermostat. There would be just enough heat rising off that candle to trick the thermostat into thinking the room was warmer and the A/C would cycle on more often keeping me nice and cool and comfortable. None of the so called important people ever realized why the foyer was always cold when I worked the desk, and I only shared the secret with a couple other officers and made them promise not to tell or our cool days were over.

If you don't want to use an open flame from a candle place a small lamp with an incandescent light bulb under the thermostat. One time on vacation in Florida the vacation rental had a smart thermostat set about 5 degrees too warm, considering the humidity in the condo, but they had a table lamp with an incandescent bulb so I placed it on a chair in the hallway under the thermostat and left the light on all the time and we were comfortable all week.

I never had a desire, and never will, to have smart anything connected to anything in my home. But hopefully my rambling will help someone stuck with a "smart" thermostat.
 
INresponse said:
I don't have a hackable thermostat but I thought I could share a little story that could be helpful for those who do.
When I was a Police Officer, in my later years, I would volunteer to work the dreaded, boring desk dealing with everyone who would call in or walk in to talk to an officer or make a report. Of course I usually volunteered more often in the summer because it was 110* outside and the desk was INSIDE. The Police Department only had thermometers on the wall and a central computer had the temps set for each zone so no one could turn anything up or down. Well, :ghostly: the thermostat for the foyer where the desk was located happened to be on the wall about 12" over the back counter behind the desk. I always enjoyed the pleasant aroma of a small candle that I innocently placed on the counter directly under the thermostat. There would be just enough heat rising off that candle to trick the thermostat into thinking the room was warmer and the A/C would cycle on more often keeping me nice and cool and comfortable. None of the so called important people ever realized why the foyer was always cold when I worked the desk, and I only shared the secret with a couple other officers and made them promise not to tell or our cool days were over.

If you don't want to use an open flame from a candle place a small lamp with an incandescent light bulb under the thermostat. One time on vacation in Florida the vacation rental had a smart thermostat set about 5 degrees too warm, considering the humidity in the condo, but they had a table lamp with an incandescent bulb so I placed it on a chair in the hallway under the thermostat and left the light on all the time and we were comfortable all week.

I never had a desire, and never will, to have smart anything connected to anything in my home. But hopefully my rambling will help someone stuck with a "smart" thermostat.
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Too funny. I had more than one call of a cold house where I walked in and turned off a pole lamp under the thermostat, told them to move the lamp, and sent them a bill.
 
I have not heard that. I will have to ask my wife if she has seen any notification. I really don't mind when it is hot, but if you got between my wife and the thermostat there would be hell to pay. Heat bothers her a lot. My hand to God she has complained when it is 70. I told her to move to Alaska. :confused2:
 
Morgan101 said:
I have not heard that. I will have to ask my wife if she has seen any notification. I really don't mind when it is hot, but if you got between my wife and the thermostat there would be hell to pay. Heat bothers her a lot. My hand to God she has complained when it is 70. I told her to move to Alaska. :confused2:
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Do they have to give you notification??
 
Morgan101 said:
I have not heard that. I will have to ask my wife if she has seen any notification. I really don't mind when it is hot, but if you got between my wife and the thermostat there would be hell to pay. Heat bothers her a lot. My hand to God she has complained when it is 70. I told her to move to Alaska. :confused2:
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LOL, it's like that here only in reverse. I detest being hot, and 70 in the house would likely seem hot, maybe stuffy is a better description, to me as well. I would much rather sit in my chair with a throw if need be than to be hot.

Give me a sunny 30* day and a bucket and a pole, I will sit out on the ice all day and love every minute of it.
 
Pearl said:
Do they have to give you notification??
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I don't know. I would think that somebody controlling things in your house without telling you would be a serious invasion of privacy, but I am not a lawyer. Good question to ask.
 
Morgan101 said:
I have not heard that. I will have to ask my wife if she has seen any notification. I really don't mind when it is hot, but if you got between my wife and the thermostat there would be hell to pay. Heat bothers her a lot. My hand to God she has complained when it is 70. I told her to move to Alaska. :confused2:
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She would love it at our place. We neither one like the heat, 68 is max for us. With ceiling fans going to
 
snappy1 said:
We've been keeping it at 82 when it's in the low 90's. Going to be upper 90's next week. Going for 83 in the house. Have to be able to afford the bill. We have an older thermostat.
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I read about Backpacker's 68° and thought, dang! I'd be wearing my long-johns! gaah
We keep ours between 77°-78° and it's not to pinch pennies; the MIL still wears a sweater all day.
Any cooler than that and she has a blanket wrapped around herself. :confused:
The power bill belongs to me, and it is an 'all you can eat' buffet.:thumbs::D
Oh, and the sweater, did I mention that my wife is hot?:LOL:
 
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Supervisor42 said:
I read about Backpacker's 68° and thought, dang! I'd be wearing my long-johns! gaah
We keep ours between 77°-78° and it's not to pinch pennies; the MIL still wears a sweater all day.
Any cooler than that and she has a blanket wrapped around herself. :confused:
The power bill belongs to me, and it is an 'all you can eat' buffet.:thumbs::D
Oh, and the sweater, did I mention that my wife is hot?:LOL:
Click to expand...

We keep fuzzy blankets around the house for visitors. Neither of us sleep much if the temps are up. And after a hard hot day out working in the garden I want to be able to cool down after a bit. I used to work in a packing house and my job was to tend to the smoke houses and move ham and bacon into and out of the smokers and into freezers. I spent 3-6 hours a day in rooms over 100 degrees and 2-4 hours in the smoke houses moving meat and then cleaning them out. Houses were typically 130 or a little higher when we'd shut them down to pull the meat and would drop to around 110 by the time I emptied them. Never saw over 135. Cleaning was a whole other treat. We used high pressure hot water with a soap solution to cut the grease. Temps were always 110 or higher with plenty of steam to boot.
I when I took breaks I would go in the freezers for a few minutes to cool down and drink at least a quart of water. But after I left there and got into industrial maintenance I have never been able to stand heat much since. I work outside a fair amount but wear down way too quick. I seem to have to cool down for a while to get back at it. I guess wife has just gotten used to it over the years. But she will wear a sweatshirt at times.
 
I hate the heat. Everyone I know wants to head to Florida or some other warm locale when they retire. I'm heading north to a place where I can see Canada from my front porch. Only good thing about summer is fresh vegetables.
 
Tommyice said:
I hate the heat. Everyone I know wants to head to Florida or some other warm locale when they retire. I'm heading north to a place where I can see Canada from my front porch. Only good thing about summer is fresh vegetables.
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I'm with you. I know and have known many retirees who moved or vacationed frequently in South Texas or southern Arizona. No thank you! Even a trip to Arizona in the winter is too much. I cannot imagine being there in the summer!
 
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