Thread: CA: Big Brother to control thermostats in homes?

This state is driving me bonkers, it's embarrassing! Want politicians out of my home, my car, enough already! To imagine it has been called the Golden State, no more in so many ways.
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Big Brother to control thermostats in homes?
Proposed mandate would give utility companies unlimited remote access to regulate temperatures

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Posted: January 11, 2008
1:00 a.m. Eastern


By Chelsea Schilling
© 2008 WorldNetDaily.com


Add thermostats to the list of private property the government would like to regulate as the state of California looks to require that residents install remotely monitored temperature controls in their homes next year.

The government is seeking to limit rolling blackouts and free up electric and natural gas resources by mandating that every new heating and cooling system include a "non-removable" FM receiver. The thermostat is also capable of controlling other appliances in the house, such as electric water heaters, refrigerators, pool pumps, computers and lights in response to signals from utility companies. If contractors and residents refuse to comply with the mandate, their building permits will be denied.

The proposal, set to be considered by the commission Jan. 30, requires each thermostat to be equipped with a radio communication device to send "price signals" and automatically adjust temperature up or down 4 degrees for cooling and heating, as California's public and private utility organizations deem necessary.

Claudia Chandler, assistant executive director for the California Energy Commission, told WND the new systems would be highly beneficial to residents.

"From the Energy Commission's perspective, all we're doing is ensuring that this new technology is included in new homes instead of the older programmable technology," she said.

The Programmable Communication Thermostat, or PCT, will allow power authorities to control home temperatures without granting consumers ability to override settings during "emergency events." Nowhere in the proposal does it clarify what type of situation would qualify as an "emergency," but Chandler offered her own explanation: "An emergency is when the utilities need to implement rolling blackouts and drop load in order to be able to meet their supplies because the integrity of the grid is being jeopardized."





She claims residents will be able to manually override controls in all cases, but the 2008 Building Efficiency Standards (Page 64), known as Title 24, specifically states: "The PCT shall not allow customer changes to thermostat settings during emergency events."

Michael Shames, executive director of California's Utility Consumers' Action Network, told WND he believes the idea of a chip consumers are unable to override is not feasible. While he considers the technology to be a positive development, he said denying consumers control over their own appliances is a highly problematic concept.

"The implications of this language are far-reaching and Orwellian," he said. "For the government and utility company to say, 'We're going to control the devices in your house, and you have no choice in that matter,' that's where the line is drawn. That sentence must be removed."

Additionally, no provisional exceptions for people with health conditions worsened by excessive temperatures are mentioned in the current proposal; however, the Energy Commission spokeswoman said existing supply problems are more worrisome to Californians with health issues than the projected solution.

"I actually was more concerned in the 2001 electricity crisis that folks on critical medical devices like respirators, kidney dialysis machines and things like that were going through rolling blackouts," Chandler said. "That's a very challenging thing to face. Moving somebody's temperature up by a few degrees really seems mild by comparison."

Jim Gunshinan, managing editor of Home Energy, based in Berkley, Calif., told WND the changes would also provide consumers with an option to control thermostats via the Internet.

"That means someone can turn on the air conditioning before they leave work for home and have the house comfortable when they walk in the door. Or if they forgot before leaving home for a ski trip, they can remotely lower the thermostat at home and save money."

Gunshinan claims the new system is needed because it will be more beneficial to the environment than building new energy facilities for the state.

"Since utilities have old, inefficient and dirty power plants on reserve to use during peak demand hours, dropping demand will mean less use of these dirty power plants and less pollution."

Some critics claim California authorities will be incapable of enforcing compliance if homeowners and renters bootleg heating and cooling systems from other states, block radio reception with FM transmitters or simply install window air conditioning units and space heaters, a bypass method that could use more energy than traditional units.

Concerned California residents expressed outrage with the proposal in several online postings:

"I hate this state. Why don't we just fly a communist flag while we are at it? We are planning a move out of state. I'm done."

"This is insane. Please, everyone reading this, take action. Write your representatives, call the RINO governor, call your local radio programs and, lastly, write letters to the editors of your local papers. Dear God, just when I thought California couldn't get much worse!"

Other opponents of the state proposal expressed concern that its mandatory nature is a sign of increasing "Big Brother" government control.

The California Energy Commission invites public comment until the proposed adoption date, Jan. 30. Written responses must indicate "Docket No. 07-BTSD-1." Members of the California Energy Commission are appointed by the governor. Concerned individuals may also contact California state legislators.


http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/artic ... E_ID=59639

Communism alive and well in California!!

It is truly awful. The illegals and communists running this state right into oblivion. Everything here that is illegal by law is legal. Everything legal by law is becoming illegal. What the heck kind of thinking is this. The legislature convenes and passes laws about fats, spanking kids,thermostats,smoking in cars...meanwhile we're broke,infrastructure is falling apart. Oh my word it is so sad its funny. We can be the model for what happens to states that get overrun with illegals and who the illegals vote into office. Watch out America..its coming your way.

WE HAVE TOO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS STATE....SO MANY THAT POWER CANT BE PROVIDED FOR ALL OF US. GUESS WHY? YOU GUESSED IT....I DONT EVEN HAVE TO SAY IT DO I? SO INSTEAD OF PUTTING A STOP TO THE ILLEGAL OVERPOPULATION AND ANCHOR BABIES...THEY WANT TO CONTROL THE HEAT AND AIR CONDITIONING IN OUR HOMES.

WE HAVE TOO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS STATE....SO MANY THAT POWER CANT BE PROVIDED FOR ALL OF US. GUESS WHY? YOU GUESSED IT....I DONT EVEN HAVE TO SAY IT DO I? SO INSTEAD OF PUTTING A STOP TO THE ILLEGAL OVERPOPULATION AND ANCHOR BABIES.

ILLEGAL OVERPOPULATION AND ANCHOR BABIES.


ILLEGAL OVERPOPULATION AND ANCHOR BABIES.

And we don't have enough water for them.

WE HAVE TOO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS STATE....SO MANY THAT POWER CANT BE PROVIDED FOR ALL OF US. GUESS WHY? YOU GUESSED IT....I DONT EVEN HAVE TO SAY IT DO I? SO INSTEAD OF PUTTING A STOP TO THE ILLEGAL OVERPOPULATION AND ANCHOR BABIES.

ILLEGAL OVERPOPULATION AND ANCHOR BABIES.


ILLEGAL OVERPOPULATION AND ANCHOR BABIES.

And we don't have enough water for them.

YES AND THE WATER IS GETTING SHALLOW AS WELL. AND NOW AHHHNOLD IS TRYING TO SOLVE THE BUDGET DEFICIT BY MAKING CUTS TO SERVICES, INCLUDING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AND HEALTH SERVICES TO LEGAL AMERICAN CHILDREN WHOSE PARENTS' WAGES ARE DEPRESSED BECAUSE....YOU GUESSED IT...ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. BUT MANY OF THESE SHORTFALLS ARE BEING CAUSED BY NOT CONTROLLING IMMIGRATION.

The home builders have been given a free pass to build build build and HUGE homes they build too. They should have had to pay to improve our roads, etc. in the meantime. Frankly I'm glad they're having a hard time selling them now.
Money money money.
So many things are out of whack in this state.
Common sense in our government, where is it?

My sister lives out there in a half a millon dollar home and she can't even afford to heat it!

Great! What is to stop them from also turning everything up to create more revenue.

I just heard on the News that Arnold is going to cut everything 10% across the board. Schools are going to be hit hard, but don't touch the English 2nd language classes!!

We keep hearing about American kids getting fat so let's cut out the sports programs and P.E. Our high school cut the French class so now they only offer Spanish.

Everytime I think California has hit rock bottom it only gets worse!!!!

The control thermostats be placed in private property so doesn't apply to government offices and buildings nor corporation facilities?

The government is seeking to limit rolling blackouts and free up electric and natural gas resources by mandating that every new heating and cooling system include a "non-removable" FM receiver. The thermostat is also capable of controlling other appliances in the house, such as electric water heaters, refrigerators, pool pumps, computers and lights in response to signals from utility companies.

My trust in government has gone way down so.......Does the "non-removable' FM receiver have transmissions capabilities--able to send present settings back to some enity to determine if a change is needed? Seems it would if a person can change it via a computer. So the real question--does it do more. than just control (ie monitors?) appliances especially when it comes to computers, faxes, answering machines, tv's and other electric equipment with personal information?

Government controlling thermostats, light bulbs, toilet water, smoking, red and green Christmas lights, and Christmas angels and religious symbols in Hud Housing but doesn't control illegal immigration or drugs entering our borders.

Deport the illegals and the power demands (many subsidized ) would go down dramatically. Less water use, pollution, garbage and road congestion and less need for road maintainence. It's a win-win situation especially when taking into account school and ER rooms over-population.

Add thermostats to the list of private property the government would like to regulate as the state of California looks to require that residents install remotely monitored temperature controls in their homes next year.

Related links of government regulation:
Federal Department of Toilets & Light Bulbs
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-96974-harr ... lbs+toilet

exerts:

Nevada Sen. Harry Reid said he thought the light bulb ban was an appropriate exercise of federal power.

Believe you have to evacuate the room if the recommended bulb breaks due to mercury.

Remember the 1992 energy bill, in which Congress banned the 3.5 gallon toilet? It mandated that that Americans no longer use more than 1.6 gallons per flush. Of course, per the immutable Law of Unintended Consequences, the new 1.6 gallon toilets turned out not to be enough to, er, get the job done. So folks found themselves flushing two and three times per visit, thus using the same amount of water, if not more, than they did before Congress stuck its nose into our bathrooms.

WHO SUPPORTS THE DRUG WAR?
http://www.alipac.us/ftopict-97306-smoking.html+ban

Belmont to be first U.S. city to ban all smoking
By Dana Yates, Daily Journal Staff
Belmont is set to make history by becoming the first city in the nation to ban smoking on its streets and almost everywhere else.
The Belmont City Council voted unanimously last night to pursue a strict law that will prohibit smoking anywhere in the city except for single-family detached residences. Smoking on the street, in a park and even in one’s car will become illegal and police would have the option of handing out tickets if they catch someone.

Remember the CO city who banned red and green Christmas lights? HUD Housing banning angels and religious decorations for Christmas?

Governments will always misuse the machinery of the law as far as the state of public opinion permits.
- Emile Capouya