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Programmable Communicating Thermostat

Wow.  Are there any limits to government anymore?

What should be controversial in the proposed revisions to Title 24 is the requirement for what is called a “programmable communicating thermostat” or PCT. Every new home and every change to existing homes’ central heating and air conditioning systems will required to be fitted with a PCT beginning next year following the issuance of the revision. Each PCT will be fitted with a “non-removable ” FM receiver that will allow the power authorities to increase your air conditioning temperature setpoint or decrease your heater temperature setpoint to any value they chose. During “price events” those changes are limited to +/- four degrees F and you would be able to manually override the changes. During “emergency events” the new setpoints can be whatever the power authority desires and you would not be able to alter them.

In other words, the temperature of your home will no longer be yours to control. Your desires and needs can and will be overridden by the state of California through its public and private utility organizations. All this is for the common good, of course

Via Moonbattery via Dad29.

Posted by Owen at 2026 hrs
Culture + Law + Politics + Politics - General + Technology

1. I can’t wait until this comes to Wisconsin.  Then, WE Energies can override our thermostats *AND* bleed us dry for the privelege! </sarcasm>

   Posted by Coop on January 07, 2008 at 2041 hrs
   
   
   

2. On the plus side, this will mean increased sales for my thermostat bypassing business.

   Posted by Aaron on January 07, 2008 at 2056 hrs
   
   
   

3. If you build them, I will buy them for all of my friends and family for Christmas.

   Posted by Coop on January 07, 2008 at 2232 hrs
   
   
   

4. Laws make honest men criminals.  It’s only a matter of time before we’re all guilty.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 07, 2008 at 2233 hrs
   
   
   

5. When REAL thermostats are outlawed, only outlaws will have REAL thermostats. 

   What a dumb idea!  It’s like the state-mandated low-flush toilets that have to be flushed at least twice to get everything to go down.

   Ask resourceful Wisconsinites what they would do if the furnace didn’t heat their home warm enough in winter, and they will come up with creative alternatives like:
   * turn on a portable heater
   * use electric blankets
   * turn on the oven and open the door
   * get a portable generator
   * hook up a wood-burning (or corn-burning) stove

   These alternatives won’t show up on your utility bill, but will allow you to keep the temperature of your home where you prefer…unless the utility would actually turn on the air conditioning to lower the temperature.

   The problem with some of these alternatives - like using your oven to heat your home, or burning fuel in a stove or generator - is that they are dangerous.  You risk carbon monoxide poisoning if the equipment is malfunctioning or if you fail to use it properly.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 07, 2008 at 2311 hrs
   
   
   

6. I already keep my thermostat low and supplement with cheaper electric space heaters and warm clothes. Yesterday we had the windows open because it was warmer outside. I think we may be being too cheap…

   Posted by Matt on January 08, 2008 at 1051 hrs
   
   
   

7. I prefer the way my electric company does it: they PAY ME for the privilege of being able to shut my AC down for up to 10 minutes/hour during the summers when the load gets to high. A reasonable tradeoff in my view, and they don’t control the actual temperature.

   BTW, those corn burning stoves are great. I’ve got one and it does probably 90% of our winter heat and dirt cheap. You can go whole hog and get the corn furnaces, too, and the efficiency is usually above 90%.

   When the farmer I get the corn from found out I had a stove, he came over to check it out, liked it, and asked how much I burned in it to heat the house in a winter. He gave me a look when I told him and said, “I spill more than that a month.” He went out and got one the next week when they went on sale at Fleet Farm.

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 08, 2008 at 1056 hrs
   
   
   

8. Ok, when’s the first Youtube video of a thermostat wrapped in tinfoil going to air?

   Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 08, 2008 at 1154 hrs
   
   
   

9. As soon as I can get my hands on some tinfoil and a video camera.

   Posted by Coop on January 08, 2008 at 1218 hrs
   
   
   

10. That’s California for you.

    We live in San Diego so we get to see the millions that Sempra Energy spends on ads for how to conserve (read: buy less of their products).  It has always struck me as a very weird way to do business.  On the one hand they ask investors to buy stock under the assumption that they’ll earn a profit.  While at the same time begging their customers to buy less of what they’re selling.

    Be that as it may, we’re one of those couples who actually does conserve.  (And no, it has nothing to do with global warming. We just don’t like wasting money).  We use very very little electricity and gas for a place our size.  We have an 1800 sq. ft. condo.  But we have no AC and we run the heater maybe once or twice each winter if it’s in the low 40’s at night and we have a guest.  All our light bulbs are the CFR type.  We use power strips for all our electronic devices and shut them off when not in use so the LED’s don’t continue to suck power when not needed.  The only thing running when we’re not at home is the fridge, a couple of digital clocks, and my DVR

    As such, we love our low energy bill every month.  Lower than any of our neighbors with the same size condos.

    So it came as quite a shock to us last week when Sempra sent out a guy to verify if our meter is hooked up to our condo.  He even insisted on having us turn on a light, and then he went and cut the power at our meter to make sure our unit was the one hooked up to it.  Among his first questions was whether or not we lived there full time, or vacationed a lot.  The gist of it was that they didn’t believe a place our size in that area could use so little electricity with people actually living these.

    So rather than thanking us for heeding the ads on which they spend millions, they come and harass us for not using enough energy.

    We called “customer service” to complain.  Got the usual BS apology.  But it still irks me.  If they come back again and do it, I’m going to the news media.  The would make for a pretty bad PR story for them.

    Posted by David on January 08, 2008 at 1316 hrs
    
    
    

11. David,

    I would have told that guy to go pound sand.  If he insisted, I would have insisted as well, with a shut door in his face.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on January 08, 2008 at 1347 hrs
    
    
    

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    Posted by hcaojqyz on May 10, 2008 at 0839 hrs
    
    
    

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