
Load Management Group
In partnership with PLMA, this group is for practitioners from energy utilities, solution providers, and trade allies to share load management expertise and explore innovative approaches to program delivery, pricing constructs, and technology adoption.
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How your power company can remotely control your smart thermostat
When a cold snap melted down the Electric Reliability Council of Texas' grid last winter, some Lone Star State residential electric customers were shocked to learn they had enrolled in programs that charged them for power at the rate it was going for on ERCOT's market at the moment they were consuming it.
The recent heat wave in Texas brought another surprise, this time to residential electric customers who had enrolled in programs that allowed their power providers to jack up their thermostat a few degrees during a heat wave to reduce overall load.
I understand that people often don't read fine print. I've blindly clicked the agree box on so many electronic documents from Apple that I half expect Steve Jobs to claim my soul when I finally ring down the curtain and join the choir invisible.
But anyone surprised they could get walloped in the wallet by a program that charges them spot-market rates for power or have their thermostat remotely adjusted when they enroll in a program that rewards them for helping a grid operator save energy during peak-demand periods isn't someone who just doesn't read fine print.
It's someone who has trouble comprehending any print.
How your power company can remotely control your smart thermostat
A heat wave in Texas is leading to some unexpected changes in AC settings.
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