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January 07, 2008

The Nannystate: All Your Thermostats Belong to Us

I'm still fuming over the banning of the incandescent light bulb ... done, no doubt, because we lowly peoples just can't be trusted to act in our own interest ... regardless of all the real problems with CFL's, including inducing migraines and causing skin cancer. Now comes word of a proposed change to California Title 24, "236 pages of state-mandated standards for building energy efficiency"

What should be controversial in the proposed revisions to Title 24 is the requirement for what is called a "programmable communicating thermostat" or PCT. Every new home and every change to existing homes' central heating and air conditioning systems will required to be fitted with a PCT beginning next year following the issuance of the revision. Each PCT will be fitted with a "non-removable " FM receiver that will allow the power authorities to increase your air conditioning temperature setpoint or decrease your heater temperature setpoint to any value they chose. During "price events" those changes are limited to +/- four degrees F and you would be able to manually override the changes. During "emergency events" the new setpoints can be whatever the power authority desires and you would not be able to alter them.

In other words, the temperature of your home will no longer be yours to control. Your desires and needs can and will be overridden by the state of California through its public and private utility organizations.


Oh goody.

Posted by Darleen at January 7, 2008 06:52 AM

Comments

Hmm. Thanks for the headsup, Mz Darleen.

Be interesting if DWP could control the thermostat levels in my house. Luckily my place was build in 1978. Maybe I'm exempt.

My suspicion is that despite this legislation, DWP will go slow on implementing something like that.

In any event, just wait til Fox News gets ahold of this! In between blasting HC and kicking her when she's down, Billo and the rest of the Fox Noise Nuts will be moaning and groaning over the loss of freedom to heat or cool their houses as they please, limited energy resources be damned.

Anyway, I'm conflicted. On one hand it seems like good policy, on the other, I don't like the idea of DWP setting my thermostat for me.

Posted by: Carl W. Goss at January 8, 2008 09:20 AM

Californians want to use power but they don't want to pay for it. The state has to get around the idiocy of its people.

Oh, and the assertion that CFL's "cause[] skin cancer" is ridiculously misleading.

Posted by: Josh at January 8, 2008 09:48 AM

If it's good policy, then why don't you want them to do it?

Posted by: Chris at January 9, 2008 01:53 PM