‘Set and Forget’: Help Save Money and Reduce Your Energy Use with Utility Savings Programs
Updated: Aug 6, 2022
When a sudden heat wave hits a large swath of the country, air conditioning systems in houses, apartments, hospitals and office buildings all crank on at once, and the grid goes into overdrive with the increased demand of energy.
This kind of short-term increased demand puts a strain on our electric grid and can even become a public safety hazard if overloaded systems crash just when consumers most need to cool their indoor environments.
An Innovative Way to Save Energy and Money
To prevent this from happening, utility companies implement a variety of voluntary energy saving programs (known in the industry as demand response, or DR) that incentivize consumers to reduce their energy use during periods of peak demand. Historically, utility companies would install a wireless device to the homeowner’s air conditioning compressor that would turn it off if they were experiencing peak demand, which left homeowners frustrated and overheated without any control at those times.
Today, users sign up online by connecting their smart thermostat with their utility account. From there, the utility sends an alert through an app or on the thermostat when there is increased demand and adjusts their thermostats a degree or two to reduce the stress on the system.
Utilities offer rebates and rewards to rewards to energy heroes who participate. Every program is a little different, but in most cases the homeowner can choose if they want to change their temperature, or if they are about to have a house full of family for a child’s birthday party, for instance, they can choose to opt out.
Now's the Time to Consider Signing Up
As peak energy demand looms in many parts of the country, utility companies are recruiting homeowners to be part of their voluntary programs. Signing up for demand response enables the community to reduce their energy consumption and keep the lights on, which is critical to hospitals and stores during an extreme weather event. Many utilities offer a rebate or even a free connected thermostat that is compatible with their demand-response programs.
Resideo's Energy Management team works directly with local utilities to help keep the electricity grid functioning by controlling the demand from enrolled smart thermostats and other distributed energy resources.
"During extreme – hot or cold – weather, we shift Megawatts of load from the grid, which helps stabilize the electric grid for all," said Michael Siemann, Engineering Manager in Resideo's Energy Management team. "You can help keep everyone's heat/air conditioning and lights on by participating in utility Demand Response events. It takes contribution of tens of thousands of homes pitching in to help curtail the demand and ensure communities aren't left in the dark!"
Resideo offers a full range of Honeywell Home™ branded thermostats that are demand response-enabled. All of our WiFi thermostats have demand-response capability, and Resideo's Honeywell Home T Series Smart Thermostats are perfect for homeowners who can link them directly to rebate programs offered by participating utility companies. Once installed, the thermostat goes to work, adjusting temperatures based on who is in the house and what’s going on outside on the city-wide power grid. Homeowners can save on energy costs while helping to reduce the stress on our energy systems during peak hours, which helps you and your neighbors by avoiding any prolonged power outages.
Resideo Helps Your Home Stay 'Just Right'
Resideo’s DR-enabled thermostats are “set and forget” – homeowners don’t have to worry about adjusting temperatures themselves – but if customers want or need to make changes to the thermostats, they can access the devices via a simple app on their phones even when they’re away from home.
“Our T9 and T10 Pro thermostats take your comfort and energy savings to the next level by offering temperature control that’s ‘just right’ in any room,” said Scott Harkins, vice president and general manager of Connected Home for Resideo. “The thermostats feature wireless smart sensors that measure temperature and humidity, allowing homeowners to prioritize certain rooms to the desired temperature for certain times of day. The thermostats are compatible with utility energy savings programs that may qualify for rebates or reduced energy bills.”
- To see if your utility offers a program, use this simple tool offered by Resideo.
Video: What is Demand Response and How Does it Work?
For more information about demand response and to learn how you can enroll your Honeywell Home smart thermostat with your utility provider, check out this video below. You can be in control of your comfort, and get rewarded for saving energy at the same time.
