Why I will NEVER have a smart house

[grsthegreat]

Texas power companies are adjusting residents' smart thermostats to higher temps. Here's why.

Some owners of smart thermostats in Texas found temperatures were going up, all done remotely by their power company, according to local TV reports.

www.usatoday.com

i would NEVER let the power company control my thermostat, much less anything else. There are no rind or amazon Alexa devices or the like in my house and never will be.

 

[oosik]

I agree, grsthegreat. However, I understand what the energy companies are trying to do AND it's with the consent of the homeowner.

During peak use they are upping the temps where your air conditioning will cut in. I bet they are doing the same with electric furnaces during the winter in cold areas. Lowering the temps where the furnace will kick on when it's cold.

We are slowly giving it away - piece by piece.

 

[5030]

Only 'smart' thing in this house is my wife.....

 

[dlctcg]

Texas power companies are adjusting residents' smart thermostats to higher temps. Here's why.

Some owners of smart thermostats in Texas found temperatures were going up, all done remotely by their power company, according to local TV reports.

www.usatoday.com

i would NEVER let the power company control my thermostat, much less anything else. There are no rind or amazon Alexa devices or the like in my house and never will be.

I agree on never allowing the power company (or any utility company) to control of my devices.... also on the RING & ALEXA devices. However if I'm reading this correctly these customers signed up for this.... Not smart on not reading the small print...

Part of my job is to design & build smart home tech... & we use none of these tactics or products. We actually educate the homeowners on the correct products & protocols to use. There are many smart home products available that don't leave you anywhere near vulnerable & are actually safe to use...

But I understand your (& many others) concerns... They are real & just...

 

[ericm979]

There's nothing wrong with signing up for a plan where the PoCo can turn up the AC in exchange for lower rates.

I won't have smart devices in my house for a lot of reasons: poor security, poor privacy, selling my data to others, and bricking devices the customer thought they owned. All of those problems are rampant in the industry.

 

[Jchonline]

I am my own power company...feels so good. Off grid for a couple of years now. Although at our altitude we rarely need AC in the Summer...I have a minisplit AC that runs on the abundance of excess solar energy we have on a sunny day. What if there is no Sun? Well then there is no heat so we wont need the AC anyway. It has been such a great experience.

That smartthingy stuff leeches power..so we only use the smartplugs. That way I can turn off everything that might leech power with the press of 1 button. The rest of it is pretty useless for us.

 

[5030]

I'm not off grid but I do heat the house with shelled corn and have for years. Best part is, the corn is free for me. Talk about cheap heat, I have it.

 

[Jchonline]

Yes we use wood stove. I live in a forest. We have radiant in floor (propane) and can even run the Minisplit heat pump if we have good sun on a cold day. However we never need either of them. We have a soapstone version stove from Hearthstone. I only have to load it 2 times a day. Morning and Evening. Its awesome.

 

[MoKelly]

Yes we use wood stove. I live in a forest. We have radiant in floor (propane) and can even run the Minisplit heat pump if we have good sun on a cold day. However we never need either of them. We have a soapstone version stove from Hearthstone. I only have to load it 2 times a day. Morning and Evening. Its awesome.

How do you get internet?

MoKelly

 

[Dftodd]

Power company here has been sending out letters trying to get you to allow them to turn off your ac compressors during peak usage times.

I invested in high efficiency widows, doors, added 10" of insulation to the attic. Including burying the ac ductwork so it is insulated as well. Plus I had ridge vents added to the roof so it vents properly.

My AC will kick on for around 10 minutes each hour when it's 95 degrees out and the sun is beating down. It will kick on once every 40 to 50 minutes when the Temps are over 100° out. Run time average is around 10 minutes a cycle.

I'll pass on allowing them to turn off the AC compressor when they feel like it.

If more people took the time to insulate and vent their attics properly and invest in good windows and doors, there wouldn't be as big of a strain on the power grids.