Saturday, January 12, 2008

California wants to control home thermostats - International Herald Tribune: "Next year in California, state regulators are likely to have the emergency power to control individual thermostats, sending temperatures up or down through a radio-controlled device that will be required in new or substantially modified houses and buildings to manage electricity shortages."

----------
I guess conversations about your home being your castle are pretty much outmoded in the Golden State. The Greater Good is what counts, and government knows best, even when it comes to setting your thermostat.

1 comment:

Fred Fischer said...

Give them an inch and they will take a mile. First it’s the thermostats then logically the electricity then to the water since they can be justified for all the same reasons.

Did you know its not just California who is gearing up its States like Georgia too who just announced that they will be installing Smart Meters. These meters are state of the art electronic metering with meter communication systems to monitor your homes usage, they claim today. While also giving them the same capability of total control in the future that they forgot to mention in their press release.

Americans better wake up fast, theirs a big difference between encouraging energy conservation through economic incentives or penalties compared to taking total control out of the hands of customers and placing them in the hands of private industries.

If you want a great example of ‘what placing control in the hands of others will be like.’ Just look at the condo and homeowners association industry with their endless controversies, conflicts and negative economic impacts upon their members.

What is especially troubling is the fact that California’s energy problems, traffic jams and failing bridges can all be traced to the City and State Halls because of a lack of leadership. Their leaders like most chose to put the best economic interests of big business ahead of the welfare of the people over and over again.