Some customers surprised DTE is controlling their A/C through energy-saving program

WXYZ ^ | 23 June 2022 | Mike Duffy

[DUMBGRUNT]

Customers say they didn't know they were part of CoolCurrent, an energy saving program which allows their air conditioning could be turned off by DTE

DTE Energy sent out an email Tuesday notifying many of its customers they were part of an energy saving program called CoolCurrent. The email explained to customers that their air conditioning could be cycled on and off during periods of peak energy demand.

Many customers like Sergio Montanez said they were unaware they were part of the program.

The CoolCurrent program involves actually stopping the air conditioner at the source 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off for no more than eight hours in a 24-hour window. Boladian, however, said it’s typically done for no more than four hours at a time.

..."I wanted to cancel it. And that's exactly what I did." Sergio Montanez

[Jet Jaguar]

thanks. I will get a backup.

[grobdriver]

And this is what you get from having any kind of “smart” appliance in your home.

I got a transfer off of an IOT project (Internet Of Things) during my IBM career just because I didn’t want to have anything to do with software development of these intrusive applications.

[napscoordinator]

I have an 18 year old Trane. I’m hoping to be fortunate like you to have it 27 years or more.

[DJ Frisat]

Thanks for a rational explanation in a thread filled with half-baked assumptions, misunderstandings, and deliberate misinformation.

Just like you, we opted in for this years ago as a way of reducing our a/c costs. We are almost never aware of our service being interrupted and our home stays cool. Although our control is via a separate meter that is in communication via a radio signal, I believe that Smart Thermostats are being used in a similar manner for newer enrollees to the program.

I don’t even remember when we replaced the A/C, but it was probably in the mid to late 90s. Despite the hysterical cries that this cycling will ‘kill the compressor’, we’ve neither had this happen nor have had to have the system recharged.

Last year, DTE supplied an energy efficiency kit that supplied us with several useful items, including LED bulbs and a Smart Thermostat. And it works very well, thank you. DTE doesn’t change my settings. I have it set for automatic heating and cooling, a constant 68 for heat, and cooling to 76 (78 at night) in hot weather. It works very well.

When we head up north, I let the house temperature rise to 82/84 for the weekend and I can set it back to 76 from my phone on the way home. No returning to a hot house, and no paying to keep it cool when we’re not there. (We lost our cat last year, so it’s ok to raise the temperature higher when we’re not home…)

I’m as cynical and distrusting as anybody, but the program details are a contract that binds both DTE and us. They have honored the commitment.

Gotta call a spade a spade, here. It’s not a ripoff or a con job.

[DJ Frisat]

It’s not “pulsed”. It’s turned off for a specified period the same way that it would be turned off if the thermostat indicated that cooling was no longer needed. The off time is sufficient to allow the system pressures to stabilize so that a safe resumption of compressor operation is accomplished at the expiration of the temporary downtime.

[Keyhopper]

Water meters can’t shut off remotely, however. We could monitor your usage. I could access your meter while you’re at work and see the meter running. I could then inform you that you have a leak somewhere in your house. You also could keep track of the usage in real time. Quite fascinating.

[Lurker]

“ It’s a smart thermostat.”

Smarter than the people who own one, apparently.

L

[aimhigh]

I hate not being able to use my CPAP. I

I'm thinking a UPS would work to backup a CPAP for temporary outages.

APC UPS 1000VA UPS Battery Backup and Surge Protector.

[cyclotic]

Me too. It’s none of their business what appliances I use, including AC

[jdsteel]

“ for 20yrs i’ve used AC ~7 times a year.”

Don’t know where you live, but it’s not where I live.

[jdsteel]

Check this out; I got one for travel, but it can be used for everyday use.

https://mytranscend.com/product/transcend-365-cpap-and-battery/

[Chode]

i’m sure...

west new york

it’s more a function of where my house sits on a cliff and the cool airflow rising and going thru the house keeping the house cool than anything

unless it’s 90high and 70low for days and the house doesn’t have a chance to cool off which happened once couple years ago

[Fresh Wind]

And what about those annoying stop-start features that you can’t permanently defeat? They can’t be good for the engine or starter.

[Don W]

I wanted to go that way, but my utility wanted THIRTY dollars per month.

[Don W]

I have NEVER lived in a house with AC until 2 months ago.

Honestly, I don’t get the whole big deal.

[EasySt]

Good backup battery “solar generators” are great.

I recommend the Pure Sine Wave versions that advertise an ability to run
in UPS mode. You can leave them plugged into the wall to keep them charged,
while using them at below the UPS wattage limit, and Pure Sine Wave AC
inverters provide the cleanest power along with properly efficient duty cycles.

300-500 watt hour LiFePo4 units with 300 or 500 watt pure sine wave
inverters ought to run most CPAP machines for many hours, and have the
advantage of being car travel friendly.

For general home use, something bigger is handy.
I like these for their up to 1100 watt UPS functionality, 2000 watt hour
LiFePo4 battery, 2000W continuous(4000W peak) Pure Sine wave
Inverter, 100 watt Type C PD ports, 2 hour recharge time on AC power
and 500 watt 48 volt solar input rating. Runs and recharges all the small
stuff and can still keep the freezer frozen all day. It has two solid handles,
but it’s almost 50 pounds. Dad and I put ours on small dolly’s.

I’ve tested mine, boiling water with a 1500 watt portable induction cooktop
plugged into it while unplugged from AC power. No problems.

Curious how it would behave when exceeding the UPS operating limit of 1100
watts while plugged into the wall outlet, the generator shut itself down shortly
after getting the cooktop up over 1200 watts. Resetting the generator involved
turning everything off, unplugging everything, plugging the unit back in and
turning it back on. UPS mode had no problem working an 800 watt portable
coffee maker and a laptop at the same time. (Or boiling water at 1100 watts on
the variable power induction cooktop.)

Pro Tip: UPS capable Units like these with kilowatt hour and larger batteries
can also serve as VERY long running uninterruptible power supplies for home
networks, security cameras, video doorbells, etc.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09WVZYRHT

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09SB4ZD9P

(Same thing, different brand names.)

I have friends that haven’t pulled the trigger yet if anyone has other options to suggest.

~Easy

[BiglyCommentary]

“Easy peasy, simply interrupt the 24 volts to the thermostat.”

And how do they do that unless the smart meter has a relay that supplies the 110 to each 24 volt transformer for each thermostat?

[Jet Jaguar]

Thanks.

[DUMBGRUNT]

—”And how do they do that unless the smart meter has a relay that supplies the 110 to each 24 volt transformer for each thermostat?”

Most likely a solid state relay, only one needed per compressor (condenser), with dual stats still only ONE cooling control line between the furnace/air handler (plus neutral) and the condensed.

That said, newer, better(?), wireless, internet...are out there, could be something different? And mini splits totally different everything is controlled by the outdoor condenser unit.

Not my line of work, I was forced to bone up on it for maintaining my system. And I was rejected from the best training program; guessing that my VVAC son-in-law blackballed me!
A quick bit of fun, 3 min video about AC school acceptance.
https://youtu.be/KrcY6PXkGuE

[BiglyCommentary]

Solid state of not, there smart meter still has to control it. A solid state relay for the compressor would be quite beefy/expensive. And a smart thermostat would not know that the compressor is not running due to “outside control”, and could throw up a fault light. My main point is it has to be additional wiring from the smart meter to the AC system.