I wonder if the ACLU will comment on what seems to be a violation of civil rights if this passes on January 30th. They pitch a fit over electronic surveillence of foreign nationals talking to Al Qaeda members, so, what about government controlling our homes?
The California Energy Commission has proposed requiring thermostats that allow the government to control the temperature of homes and businesses in case of high energy prices or shortages, a measure that some critics are calling “draconian.”
The proposed regulations would require all residential and non-residential buildings to have a Programmable Communicating Thermostat (PCT).
The regulations state that “all PCTs shall be distributed with a non-removable Radio Data System (RDS) communications device … which can be used by utilities to send price and emergency signals.” For price events, thermostats can be offset by up to four degrees, but “customers shall be able to change the offsets and thermostat settings at any time during price events.”
Upon receiving an emergency signal, “the PCT shall respond to commands contained in the emergency signal, including changing the setpoint by any number of degrees or to a specific temperature setpoint. The PCT shall not allow customer changes to thermostat settings during emergency events.”
Big Daddy State, anyone?
Understandably, California needs some measure to stop the brownouts and blackouts that plague that state. How about a few nuclear reactors? Or maybe the Hollywood set could limit their power usage in their McMansions.
At least no one has linked it to global warming. Yet.
It is a way to stop summer brownouts when everyone is using their air conditioners. With global warming that is apt to happen more frequently.
That’ll go over real well when some JR High kid hacks the RDS transmitter and forces all buildings up to 99 degrees in the summer.
I believe I alluded to brownouts and blackouts, john, however, does that give govt the right to intrude in our homes in such a manner? Why not build more power plants?
Lol, that would be interesting, and fated to happen, jr.