The householders who are unknowingly saving energy for the state
It has come to light that various Texan energy companies have been using remote management software to adjust the thermostats in the homes of consumers, increasing them by a few degrees to help save energy. KHOU 11 revealed the startling discovery that some customers have unknowingly enrolled their thermostats into an energy-conservation promotion called Smart Savers Texas, run by a company called EnergyHub.
The scheme offered those who participate the chance to win a sweepstake prize of $5,000 in return for allowing EnergyHub software to be used to remotely adjust their thermostats. Some of EnergyHub's clients include CenterPoint Energy, ERCOT and TXU Energy and correspondingly their customers may have opted in for the use of the software to be used against their thermostats.
Other similar incentive schemes have been offered by other Texas power companies. CPS Energy for example offers a one-time bill credit upon enrollment and annual bill credits at the end of summer to customers that use a qualified WiFi-enabled thermostat and allow it to be adjusted remotely.
While few would dispute the need for controlling measures amidst the heatwave within the state to ensure that energy shortages and blackouts are avoided, many end-consumers are aggrieved that external power companies can seemingly take matters into their own hands.
The need for action
When the Energy Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) called for consumer assistance in avoiding power outages, many consumers went along with measures with a heavy heart but a sense of inevitability. The announcement made on June 14th included a worrying indication of the scale of the potential problem:
"...a significant number of unexpected power plant outages, combined with expected record use of electricity due to hot weather, has resulted in tight grid conditions. Approximately 12,000 megawatts of generation were offline Monday, or enough to power 2.4 million homes on a hot summer day"
The response from Texans on social media gave an indication of the mood in the state:
Source: Twitter
Coming around the same time as Governor Greg Abbott announced a renewed project to build a wall along the state's border with Mexico that would be funded in part by donations from Texans as well as $1.1 billion of federal funding, many felt the money should be used to sort out the power supply issues instead.
Source: Twitter
An abuse of power?
While the energy companies using software to remotely adjust customers' thermostats may be legal and within the terms and conditions of their supply, few would disagree that it seems like a step too far. ERCOT has requested that consumers take steps to assist in resolving the problem and it's up to each to take whatever action they can to help overcome the shortages.
Certain customers including the sick, the elderly and those with very young children may be under real danger if their thermostat were to be adjusted too high - as was the case for a Houston resident who spoke with KHOU-11, pointing out that their 3-month-old child was at severe risk of dehydration after waking in a room that was hotter than was tolerable.
But in terms of how the issue is resolved in the longer term, surely the priority for Texans across the state is to apportion sufficient money to fixing the power stations that are offline rather than reviving failed projects to build walls?
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