By THE ALASKA STORY
March 23, 2026 – Utilities across the United States are increasingly turning to a new strategy to manage electricity demand during peak periods: temporarily adjusting customers’ smart thermostats. The approach, often marketed as managing a new kind of “rush hour” on the power grid, is expanding as utilities confront rising demand from extreme weather, electrification, and growing energy use.
The programs, commonly called “demand response or peak load reduction” initiatives, allow customers to give utilities limited control over their smart thermostats during periods of heavy electricity use. The adjustments are typically small, often just one to four degrees, and last only a few hours. Utilities say the goal is to reduce strain on the grid and avoid outages when demand spikes, such as during hot summer afternoons or cold winter mornings.
Most programs are opt-in and can be overridden by customers at any time. Participants are usually offered incentives, including bill credits, rebates, or annual payments. Some utilities offer sign-up bonuses ranging from roughly $25 to $150, along with ongoing rewards for participation in “rush hour” events.
The concept works by smoothing out demand. Homes may be pre-cooled or pre-heated before the peak period begins, allowing thermostats to adjust slightly during the highest-demand window without significantly affecting comfort. By coordinating thousands of homes, utilities can reduce the need to fire up expensive backup power plants or purchase emergency electricity at high market prices.
Programs of this type have expanded in recent years as utilities face mounting pressure from population growth, electrification, electric vehicles, data centers, and more frequent extreme weather events. Some utilities partner with smart thermostat providers such as Nest or Ecobee, allowing automated participation through mobile apps.
But the idea of utilities controlling home thermostats, even temporarily, has raised concerns. Some customers worry about privacy, autonomy, or the likelihood of expanded control in the future.
The discussion has also begun to surface in colder regions, where winter demand spikes can strain smaller grids. Pilot studies, including research involving heat pumps in Alaska communities, have tested limited thermostat adjustments during peak demand to evaluate whether similar programs could help stabilize rural systems.
As electricity demand grows, utilities are increasingly framing energy use in terms familiar to commuters: peak hours, congestion, and load shifting. Whether customers are comfortable letting their thermostat join that new “rush hour” remains an open question, but utilities appear likely to moving in the direction of control of thermostats.
12 thoughts on “Pilot project: Utilities begin to take control of home thermostats”
My prediction is that during the summer car gas prices on Anchorage will be 5.00 a gallon and increasing because of the Israeli-Iran war. The attacks is not even close to drawing to a near because Iran’s existing regime’s stupid pride and continual retaliation.
I thinking financially it’ll be a hard rest of the year affecting ALL expenses
Which at Fred Meyers and KStreet gas is 4.39 for unleaded to which some gas stations are already charging 5.00 in the Anchorage-Matsu
I have a feeling gas prices at the pump for Anchorage-Matsu won’t go down for awhile but only set to increase because of Iran and Isreal are retaliating against one another as well Iran is unprovoked attacking and harassing the entire Middle East countries between Iran and Isreal
Thank you Trump, just remember to vote in November.
Iran had it coming..,,
Threats for decades they made against Isreal and USA
Not to not forget the past assaults and attacks this regime did take provoking US military Middle East bases and Isreal either from Iran itself or its satellite terrorist groups like Hezebollah and Hamas
Decades of a delayed response by the West
Besides you don’t know anything you don’t know how thankful and joyful the Iranian people are the president and All his top generals are dead
They were cruel and murderous
2026 was time for them to go and the LORD allowed it. just like scripture points to he raises up kings and he removes them and instead of Iran wiping Isreal off the map He used Isreal to bring the deaths of the leaders who thought they would be the ones to do it instead the deceased ayatollah and his generals are the ones who won’t see 2027. One’s Pride comes before the fall.
Am I alone in noticing that only the most profoundly stupid people are those using any so-called “smart” device?
This is something that has been done for years in areas with a high saturation of “renewable energy”. So much money has been spent on energy sources that are not reliable. The reliable sources, in many cases, have been mothballed or replacement power has not been developed due to the cost of the “renewable energy”. The people responsible for our grids have been warning politicians about this for years, with little to no response from them.
This is another step on the path to total control of the lives of people. And people will fall for it, if nothing else, because of the monetary incentives. And yet when I talk about 15-minute cities, now rebranded as smart cities, people look at me like i am crazy. One other example of the incremental take-over of your lives is the “Drive Safe & Save” program that State Farm offers. Once you sign up, they monitor your speed, how long you drive without a break etc. and “reward” you with discounts, if they deem your driving habits as safe. With being able to monitor all this, how big of a step you think it is for them to restrict where or how often you can go somewhere? Big brother watching you every step of the way. And again, people are signing up voluntarily because of the money. Remember the incentives they offered for the Covid shots?
“Anchorage offered several incentives to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations, particularly during 2021. The Anchorage Chamber of Commerce provided $50 gift cards redeemable at local businesses for residents who got vaccinated, funded through a state grant. These were distributed at city-run clinics and pop-up sites while supplies lasted.
Unique local businesses also participated—Unique Ink, a tattoo shop, gave out free tattoos to those vaccinated at a mobile clinic hosted by the Anchorage Health Department.
At the state level, Alaska launched the “Give AK a Shot” campaign, which included weekly $49,000 cash prizes for newly vaccinated adults and $49,000 scholarship prizes for youth. Though not exclusive to Anchorage, Anchorage residents were eligible. The program ran from September through October 2021, with entries tied to recent vaccination records.”
Yeah, I like to know just how many of those who “chose to be victims” are still alive .
Yeeeaaaahhh, that’s a great big NOPER there. No thank you! On the other hand, maybe they’re onto something with those “smart” controls – maybe we could vote in “smart” government spending controls. Whenever the clowns in Juneau go over a certain spending amount, it would automatically cut them right off! I kind of like that idea…..
Maybe, instead, one of those dogs training collars. They propose some idiotic, new legislation… ZAP!!! ZAP!! ZAP!
Wouldn’t be surprised or dismayed to see an effort to defy, disrupt, and ultimately defeat (legally of course!) such an initiative if it becomes corporate or government mandated.
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Advances in artificial intelligence, hacking, and just plain old bypassing the box may lead to some pretty creative solutions.
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Remember, this situation is no accident.
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Corporate and government officials knowingly sacrifice utility availability and reliability to achieve their green-energy scams.
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Corporate and government officials expect rate payers to absorb extra costs forced on them by green energy scams.
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Corporate and government officials expect rate payers to accept intrusive energy rationing even though rate payers know Alaska has enough coal and natural gas to light everyone’s house and keep them warm for generations.
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Stir in generous portions of utility market manipulation, random deregulation, government price caps, new regulations, unexpected changes in supply and demand, plus the reasonable expectation that utility service to large political donors and non-profits won’t be rationed …what could possibly go wrong?
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Remember California’s self-induced electricity crisis twenty-five years ago, and the 2021 Texas power crisis, is the stage being set for a repeat performance in Alaska?
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If so, what should we do about it?