Energy Savings Foiled by Dastardly Thermostats

Katie Fehrenbacher, a writer for Earth2Tech, discusses how according to a Lawrence Berkley National Labs study, 90% of programmable thermostats are never set, and even worse, almost half of those programmed are accidentally set incorrectly.

Even though this study focussed on residential thermostats, our experience at REGEN has uncovered strikingly similar results, where programmable thermostats, even once set correctly, inevitably over time wind up being incorrectly programmed.  It's the convenience/temptation to fiddle with settings while walking through an area that's the danger here, where people may not even realize the effect of their actions. Whether accidentally or purposely misprogrammed, the result is the same: wasted energy that the facility owner pays for, and the grid must supply to the building.

That's one of the primary benefits of EnviroGrid's portal: The ability to provide facility operators with the final say on load activity.  If the operator wants to ensure loads are fully off from, say, 7PM - 8AM, then a couple of keystrokes in the portal will ensure those loads will be curtailed regardless of any overrides punched into the thermostats.  EnviroGrid controllers ensure this occurs, given that they  are installed as the "last mile" into the control lines of rooftop units; when an EnviroGrid controller says "stop", the cooling will definitely be curtailed.