When thermostats take over

Xcel Energy customers noticed their smart thermostats had been at a higher temperature than they’d set.

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When thermostats take over.
Welcome to the Know the Difference Minute for Thursday, September 1st.
In the midst of the current 90-degree-plus heatwave in Colorado, a number of customers of Xcel Energy noticed something odd on Tuesday with their smart thermostats. They’d been locked at a higher temperature than they’d set. In most cases, about 4 degrees higher.
This happened to the 22,000 members of the Energy Emergency program that allowed Xcel to take control to conserve energy during a peak. After a social media uproar Xcel reminded everyone, it was a voluntary program based on incentives of $100 up front and $25 monthly.
Could this apply to places like California which will ban sales of gasoline powered cars in a few years---while the power company asks residents to NOT charge their EV’s during peak times?
Moral of the story: read the terms of service. Especially when it comes to IOT, or Internet of Things.
I’m Dave Spano from Annex Wealth Management. That is your Know the Difference Minute.