And anyone in the country who has a “Smart Meter” for their electricity could have the same thing done to them.
Thousands of Xcel customers locked out of thermostats during ‘energy emergency’
22,000 people lost control of temperatures in their homes for hours Tuesday
Excerpt:
.....Temperatures climbed into the 90s Tuesday, which is why Tony Talarico tried to crank up the air conditioning in his partner’s Arvada home.
“I mean, it was 90 out, and it was right during the peak period,” Talarico said. “It was hot.”
That’s when he saw a message on the thermostat stating the temperature was locked due to an “energy emergency.”
“Normally, when we see a message like that, we’re able to override it,” Talarico said. “In this case, we weren’t. So, our thermostat was locked in at 78 or 79.”
On social media, dozens of Xcel customers complained of similar experiences — some reporting home temperatures as high as 88 degrees.