Texas homeowners who purchased smart thermostats that connect to the Internet are crying foul after someone accessed their thermostats remotely.
Houston area homeowners are upset that someone accessed their thermostats and turned them up to nearly 80 degrees to save energy.
A Deer Park resident told KHOU that he awoke bathed in sweat and discovered his thermostat had been cranked up to 78 degrees.
The man said his wife turned the thermostat down before they went to bed.
He feared that his 3-month-old daughter would overheat in the unbearably hot house.
Later that day, his wife received an alert on her phone that said the thermostat was turned up remotely during a three-hour “energy saving event.”
The family’s smart thermostat was installed as part of a program called “Smart Savers Texas” operated by a company called EnergyHub.
In the small print, the agreement states that electric customers allow EnergyHub to control their thermostats during periods of high energy demand.
EnergyHub’s list of clients include TXU Energy, CenterPoint and ERCOT power companies.
The Deer Park homeowner and several of his neighbors have uninstalled the smart thermostats. He said the smart thermostats are convenient but not worth the trouble.
Smart devices, including thermostats and kitchen appliances, are connected to the Internet and may be accessed from outside the home.
