This is very old news, but it came up in conversation today and I seem never to have blogged it. The California government wants to control the temperature of your house:
California utilities would control the temperature of new homes and commercial buildings in emergencies with a radio-controlled thermostat, under a proposed state update to building energy efficiency standards.
Customers could not override the thermostats during “emergency events,” according to the proposal, part of a 236-page revision to building standards. The document is scheduled to be considered by the California Energy Commission, a state agency, on Jan. 30.
The description does not provide any exception for health or safety concerns. It also does not define what are “emergency events.”
ASIDE: Have no fear, the New York Times wants us all to know that it’s silly to be worried about this.
Fortunately, cooler heads (so to speak) prevailed, and the remote controllable thermostats were given a manual override. For now.
Internet Scofflaw 