Peak Saver

When we were last in Austin, TX visiting our friend Janet, we learned of a program by which the local energy provider would install in your home, free of charge, a programmable thermostat allowing the energy provider remote-access control to your air-conditioning. During a peak energy-use period, the provider could cycle-down specific A/C systems, reducing the strain on the grid and potentially avoiding brown-outs. We recently received a similar offer from St. Thomas Eneregy called Peak Saver and on Tuesday we had our programmable thermostat installed, free of charge. Apart from helping out during the hot summer days, the device will enable us to micro-manage our heat use during the winter, as it allows us to program 4 temperature settings a day (#1 - cool over-night, #2 - warm in the morning, #3 - cool during the day, #4 - warm during the evening and #1 - cool at night). The remote access A/C program is home-owner driven, and I believe that we likely won’t notice the temperature difference. If we do, it’ll just remind us that we’re doing our bit to help our friends, neighbours, and the next generations.