9/3/2022
Colorado – Utility company locks 22,000 thermostats in 90 degree weather due to ‘energy emergency.’ The Colorado customers ‘chose to be part of’ the program that locked their thermostats, the company said.
Thousands of utility company customers in Colorado were locked out of changing their thermostats due to an “energy emergency,” sparking outrage that spilled onto social media.
Xcel Energy, a utility company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, confirmed that 22,000 customers in the Denver, Colorado area who were signed up for the Colorado AC Rewards program were locked out of their thermostats for several hours on Tuesday.
Tony Talarico, an Xcel Energy customer in Arvada, Colorado, that he attempted to turn up the air conditioning as temperatures creeped into the 90s on Tuesday but was greeted with a message from this thermostat declaring an “energy emergency” and prevented from turning the dial.Â
Some customers posted on social media that they were stuck with home temperatures as high as 88 degrees.
In a statement, Xcel Energy pointed out that the customers were part of a rewards program that gave them a discount on their energy bill in exchange for permission to give the company some control over their smart thermostats.Â
Customers receive a $100 credit when they sign up for the program and $25 annually. The company says the program helps make the system more reliable.
“So, it helps everybody for people to participate in these programs. It is a bit uncomfortable for a short period of time, but it’s very, very helpful,” Romine said, adding that this week was the first time in six years that customers could not override their thermostats.
“It’s a voluntary program,” Emmett Romine, vice president of customer solutions and innovation at Xcel.
“Let’s remember that this is something that customers choose to be a part of based on the incentives.”
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