Scary in California
Energy standards for homes are being edited this year in California. It contains the following:
Sounds ... awful.
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.
Sounds ... awful.
Comments
My office temperature is controlled from another building. As a result I have a space heater/fan combo thingy--that I had to buy in AUGUST--to keep myself warm or cold accordingly. (I tried sweaters and the like first, it didn't work.) I have no way of measuring the difference in energy output, but it seems horribly inefficient to me to be re-heating air conditioned air (or cooling heated air) which seems to be the likely result of this California proposition.