A utility company locked thousands of customers out of their smart thermostats in Colorado
by Justine Calma from The Verge - All Posts on (#639DN)
The sun sets behind electric power lines as the California Independent System Operator urged conservation to avoid blackouts in Redondo Beach, California on August 31, 2022. | Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images Thousands of Colorado residents found themselves locked out of their smart thermostats during sweltering temperatures last week in an effort to prevent power demand from overwhelming the grid.
About 22,000 Xcel customers lost control of their smart thermostats for hours on August 30th, Denver7 News reports. That led to backlash on social media as some people said the temperatures inside their homes reached as high as 88 degrees Fahrenheit. Outdoor temperatures climbed into the 90s that day across parts of Colorado as much of the western US grappled with sweltering heat.
All of the customers affected had enrolled in an energy-saving program, called AC Rewards, that's meant to ease the strain on the power grid during heatwaves. Xcel can...