AEP, Westerville can take control of smart thermostats in heat wave, here's what to know
Don't touch that dial, Westerville.
Residents in the city's energy savings program are watching their thermostats set themselves this week in response to the heat wave melting central Ohio and beyond.
Westerville's Electric Division, which serves all of the city, on Monday, June 23, raised temperatures in the homes of the 1,084 customers in the division's energy savings program, and notified customers that it planned to do the same from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 25.
Customers unhappy with the change can override the division's settings.
The phantom thermostat changes aren't new. Each summer, the division typically adjusts thermostats eight to 13 times, said Westerville Community Affairs Manager Mariah Beidleman. Last summer, thermostats were adjusted nine times between June 19 and Aug. 28.
The adjustments are typically done in two steps, said Beidleman. Thermostats are first dropped 2½ degrees for an hour to cool the home, then raised 4 degrees for two or three hours.
American Electric Power manages a similar program called the Power Rewards: Smart Thermostat Program, which allows AEP to adjust participants' thermostats remotely. The AEP program changes thermostats in the same way as the Westerville one: homes are first cooled, then thermostats bumped up 3 degrees during heat waves.
AEP officials could not be reached to say whether the utility has employed the program during this heat wave.
Citing the "significant burden" the heat wave is placing on the electric grid, AEP asked customers this week to limit their energy use during peak hours of 3-7 p.m. by turning off or unplugging unused devices and lights, turning up their thermostats and avoiding the use of large appliances like dishwashers, ovens and washing machines.
The National Weather Service in Wilmington has issued an "extreme heat watch" for the central Ohio area from Sunday, June 22, to 8 p.m. June 25.
Real estate and Development Reporter Jim Weiker can be reached at jweiker@dispatch.com and at 614-284-3697. Follow him @JimWeiker
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Westerville, AEP programs save power by regulating home temperatures
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