Taking Heat

California withdraws proposal to potentially override private thermostats

Posted at 9:55 AM on 16 Jan 2008

Strenuous public objection has forced the California Energy Commission to withdraw a proposal that new buildings in the state have radio-controlled thermostats that would allow utilities to override customers' temperature settings in the case of a power emergency. Some saw the plan as way too Big Brother; energy commission member Arthur Rosenfeld described it as minor private sacrifice for the public good. "If you can control rotating outages by letting everyone in the state share the pain," he explained, "there's a lot less pain to go around." The commission will not leave the programmable thermostats off the table completely, but will discuss moving forward with the understanding that if customers want to keep their house a balmy 78 degrees during electricity shortages, the state could not override their wishes.

sources: The New York Times, The New York Times

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Comments: (3 comments)

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Wrong Priorities

Why in hell should personal convenience come before the environment or the public good? The great outpouring of public whining over this proposal shows just how unevolved and selfish humans are, even in our supposedly enlightened state of California.

by Wolverine at 1:59 PM on 16 Jan 2008

Incentive needed?

In my state, local power companies offer customers the OPTION of a radio controlled thermostat in exchange for a lower electric rate. They can do it because it reduces their peak loads and cost of additional peak generating equipment. I don't know how much it is utilized.

People don't like to be forced.

by Boyscientist at 8:02 PM on 17 Jan 2008

Eliminate All Laws?

It's true that people don't like to be forced, but so what? When the greater good demands it, we make laws to force people to behave in certain ways. People's use of electricity should be strictly limited, because its use is extremely environmentally destructive. Until people take responsibility for their actions, they don't deserve the attendant freedoms.

by Wolverine at 3:41 PM on 18 Jan 2008

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