Ecobee thermostats can now self-adjust to prevent power outages

Ecobee makes some of the best thermostats around and its Eco Plus software helps you optimize energy usage to keep costs down. The smart home OEM has just launched a new feature called Community Energy Savings that will make adjustments to your thermostat whenever there is a risk of energy shortage. 

The latest feature in Ecobee's Eco Plus suite has been in development for at least two years, judging from the program's San Diego pilot in 2022. Ecobee's Community Energy Savings program is similar to the demand response programs run by utility companies to regulate energy demand on the grid and prevent blackouts. Turning down thermostats in individual homes has been shown to preserve power during inclement weather. Ecobee promises to notify users of grid emergency alerts as well as how long the temperature will be altered. 

According to Ecobee's blog post, an energy savings event will alter the temperature of participant houses by 1 – 4 degrees (in Fahrenheit) for “no more than four hours”. Users are free to opt out of energy savings events at any time; even during the event itself. Ecobee also allows users to opt-out entirely from the Community Energy Savings program directly within the app, via quite straightforward steps. Opting out does not affect the owners of Ecobee thermostats in any way and they can still opt in whenever they want to.

Participants in the program can set preferences for cooler or warmer temperatures and can choose the extent to which they want to participate based on their level of comfort. Demand response programs can be notoriously inflexible, so Ecobee's approach is a welcome change. 

Eco Plus still provides an option for users to enroll into their utility's demand response program in mobile app for rewards of up to $125, depending on the utility and regions. The program will ensure that the homes of enrolled users are preheated or precooled before energy demand rises to emergency levels when thermostats have to be adjusted. This way, users not only save upto 26% in heating and cooling costs, but also get financial rewards while doing so. 

The North American Energy Reliability Commission (NERC) avers that up to two-thirds of North American households are at risk of energy shortage when the electricity grid is under excessive stress, such as during a heatwave when most households crank up their air conditioning. As summer approaches, it might be a good idea to get one of Ecobee's smart Wifi thermostats to get prepared.