ERCOT tells Texans to conserve electricity through Friday.

[Mister Mumbler]

We hold a lottery for the privilege of controlling the SAM's and flak guns, which should more than adequately cover the price of ammunition. Additional overhead and associated costs could be covered via PPV livestream. I mean it's a scalable concept, since we could use excess funding generated to install artillery at the border and charge a fee to open fire into the state. It's fuckin' Texas, what are they gonna do, whine about the free exercise of Second Amendment freedom?

This is starting to remind me of that Carlin bit;

 

[TheMysteriousGX]

Want to see something fucked?

Why your smart thermostat may raise the temperature inside your house in Texas heat waves

Just as consumers flocked to smart speakers like Amazon’s Alexa and the Google Home in the 2010s, people are increasingly turning to so-called smart...

www.dallasnews.com

ERCOT's been raising people's thermostats remotely

 

[tippy2k2]

Want to see something fucked?

Why your smart thermostat may raise the temperature inside your house in Texas heat waves

Just as consumers flocked to smart speakers like Amazon’s Alexa and the Google Home in the 2010s, people are increasingly turning to so-called smart...

www.dallasnews.com

ERCOT's been raising people's thermostats remotely

Those are programs you have to sign up for (I'm in Minnesota and I could sign up for this kind of program).

Basically you get X dollars off your bill and it allows your energy company to shut down and re-engage your AC. Not a huge deal when it's 80-something degrees and your AC goes out for a hour during peak energy use but a smidge bigger deal if it's 5,000 degrees as it gets in Texas...

 

[Seanchaidh]

Those are programs you have to sign up for (I'm in Minnesota and I could sign up for this kind of program).

I've heard that these programs aren't always opt-in, though I haven't confirmed this.

 

[happyninja42]

I've heard that these programs aren't always opt-in, though I haven't confirmed this.

I mean it's hardly unheard of for companies to bury various things into a contract agreement, that you sign on to, and don't read. Or that they try and upsell you with ads, but don't really clearly explain what happens, and color the phrasing to make it sound like a great way to save money, without saying what you are really agreeing to.

 

[tippy2k2]

I've heard that these programs aren't always opt-in, though I haven't confirmed this.

I can't say that's IMPOSSIBLE but I have never heard of a company being allowed to force you to do it.

That said, it also wouldn't shock me if it was the kind of program they would give you the paperwork to opt into as you're signing all your docs and just hope you don't really notice it while you're signing everything...

Or like my paperwork for the Minnesota program where they talk about how you can save money and you'll barely notice it as it only happens in small increments (with the small print saying they could do it for hours if they had to).

 

[Eacaraxe]

Or like my paperwork for the Minnesota program where they talk about how you can save money and you'll barely notice it as it only happens in small increments (with the small print saying they could do it for hours if they had to).

Load-balancing agreements are a baby step in the right direction, but for them to really gain steam power companies are going to have to bite the bullet, and switch to TOU plans whilst offering in-home UPS installation.