Free programmable thermostat installed by the City of Austin (Atlanta: apartments, house)

[CptnRn]

Free programmable thermostat installed by the City of Austin:

It will save you money if you can set the temperatures to set the HVAC so its not running as often when you are away at work. They require you to agree to allow them to cycle your AC off on peak demand days. Last year, cycling occured only 13 times. Cycling times are June - Sept. between 3 to 7 PM Monday - Friday, no weekends or holidays.

It is a pretty good deal especially if no one is home until 6PM or so.

Visit Power Partner Thermostats or call toll free 1-800-549-2774.

[hoffdano]

Programmable t-stats are not expensive nor hard to install. I would never let the city or a utility have control over my A/C or heating in return for a $75 part.

These are "remote control" thermostats and I don't want any electronic devices in my house that can be controlled by others.

[kbchitown]

No thanks. We just got rid of that same thermostat. After every "cycle' this summer, the thermostat would reset to HEAT mode. Yeah, in the middle of 100 degree temperatures...

[tibbar]

We have had two digital thermostats and both caused problems with the furnace. Two expensive repair calls only to be told the thermostat was the problem. One went out early Christmas morning during a cold spell! The last repair guy said to stay away from them and we haven't had any problems since removing it. Both the units were good quality and not cheap. They were great while they worked but I now stick with the old fashioned mercury type. I set it to 60 in the winter and 80 in the summer and don't mess with them again.

[tmcd]

Programmable thermostats are as cheap as $23 on Amazon. I'd never trust the city to control my home thermostat!

One apartment I lived in years ago had a weird problem - no hot water from around 3pm to 7pm every day one summer. I tracked it down to a power cycling device the city had installed on the hot water heater. Either the owner or a previous tenant had received a cash rebate in exchange for allowing this to be installed. I just rewired the connection to bypass the device.

BTW, soon the city is planning to just charge more for electricity during peak use times - the fancy new digital meters give them that ability.

[10scoachrick]

Back in Atlanta, there was a program that locked in the homeowner at a lower rate with no 'peak' premiums in exchange for the ability to reduce usage during those peaks. It would have to be a significant savings for me to consider 'outside' control of my thermostat, especially since we had a programmable unit installed with the HVAC.

Perhaps if someone is in need of a new thermostat and looking to pinch pennies, this Austin program would work. Otherwise, I see the potential for more damage than good.

[verybadgnome]

13 cycles a year would hardly be noticed. I would actually probably be in work most of those summer days when it did occur. Yes there is a loss of 'freedom' with such a program but really it should be compared to an alternative scenario where CoA has to build another power plant in order to cope with these peak periods. For apartments this is probably a better idea since the owner doesn't have the incentive to save energy but wouldn't mind free hardware whereas the tenant doesn't want to pay for the hardware but conversely wants to lower their energy bills.

Of course if every homeowner and apartment had their duct work properly sealed this would probably reap a greater benefit.

tibbar: I think your situation is a fluke or the service person didn't know what they were doing. I see no reason why a digital thermostat should not work with older equipment. You are either wasting a lot of energy when you are not at home or you will have to wait once you get home for your system to heat or cool to a comfortable temperature if you are using a non-programmable thermostat.

[CptnRn]

I guess I'm not paranoid enough to worry about the City having such limited control of my thermostat. Its a pretty good deal for anyone who doesn't want to buy and install a thermostat themselves. It will save them money at no cost and very little effort on their part.

@verybadgnome, you are absolutely right about making sure your ducts are sealed. Those are AC and Heating dollars just blowing into the attic if there are leaks, and it costs very little to seal the ducts and registers.

[passionatearts]

Geez - you guys sound like you're worried about Big Brother, or something! I have 2 City of Austin programmable thermostats in my house (1 for each zone) and have only had my air conditioning cycled about 5 times this summer. The cycling only lasts 15 - 20 minutes. I saved $200 by not having to pay for my own thermostats, so I'm pretty happy.

[hoffdano]

13 cycles a year NOW. Who knows what it might be in the future.

Yes - I am mildly paranoid about big brother in my home. I don't want a government body able to directly control my home's HVAC.