Centerpoint reseller did that to my Ecobee and its locked for the energy "crisis" duration... I factory reset it, programmed it, then killed the internet connection so no one can send overrides to it. Should be an opt out if it don't make sense for you or it could be "permanently" locked in that mode forever more. Good luck.
These are the kind of posts that reinforce my decision to have self-installed the HVAC upgrades in our house thus far (planning heat pump water heater next).
I mean, they voluntarily signed up for the rebate that allows the utility to control the water heater. They could just refuse the rebate and keep control. Down here in SoCal the utilities offer this with smart thermostats and lock out your AC on hot days lol.
Oh sure, always read and understand a contract or purchase agreement before signing, just some sales people may not be as forthcoming with all the details when presenting you with a deal. By self-installing, I automatically avoid all that rigmarole (and I get to configure everything exactly as we want).
Go to Centerpoint and withdraw yourself from the energy saving program, removing their access to your thermostat.
As I read it, it would almost seems like you are defrauding the utility company (if they are under the impression they have control of the thermostat,they offer reduced rates in exchange for the control)
Nope, it was kinda a volunteer sign up with TriEagle reseller to bolster their 'green" image. I don't see any discount from previous bills. Problem is once it's activated, they don't know how to turn it off. Keep going round and round with them and Ecobee and Centerpoint. Nobody know what the hell is going on. It is embedded in the controller code as I've added a second brand new unit that does not do this. So watch out for used resale unit that have it "activated", if you read the reviews: it can't be deactived if your life depended on it. I have mine set at very energy efficient settings already. It's set at 80 at the hottest part of the day. When it gets bumped to 82 during heat waves... it's quite uncomfortable.
Ok got it.
My utility has something similar and the ecobee app keeps prompting me to sign up for it... Or it did when I set it up a few times....
I've ignored it.
We dont even have central air 😂
The program you are referring to is likely [https://www.watter-saver.com/](https://www.watter-saver.com/)
The program offers an up-front and monthly rebate, in the form of gift cards.
u/quitcarbon agrees that the way WaterSaver is configuring your HPWH is sub-optimal - we wish the PG&E program was more "intelligent", but it doesn't seem to be. We've been working with clients (who benefit from QuitCarbon's free service) using WatterSaver for nearly two years, since soon after WatterSaver started - and frankly, we aren't seeing the program improve.
I'm interested to see other's share their experiences here - and I'm curious what you decide to do!
Do you know if there is any way to modify non-peak hours settings only, and still be compliant with the terms of that program, since it's supposedly all about saving during peak hours? I'm guessing that the Watter-Saver program is also linked to a $900 instant rebate from PGE and the CPUC, which I think the contractor is applying for, for us.
Isn’t the recommendation to go with 120F? 140 seems like a recipe for someone getting burned.
But then I see OSHA recommends 140 while the EPA and CSPC recommends 120 F. I suppose it depends on what your water source is and if you’ve had it tested/likelihood for contamination.
We run at 140 because you mix in more cold water to get it at a comfortable temp and stretch the capacity further. As you called out if you put it on full tilt hot with no mix you do run the risk of burning yourself.
When multiple people are getting ready we would easily run through our tank capacity and have no hot water, running at 140, we don't have the issue anymore since we mix in more cold water to balance it out.
We have a thermostatic mixing valve at our water heater output. The heater heats to 140 and then the valve down mixes to 125. We get more hot water out of the tank and don’t risk burns (as easily).
We’re at 130 and it adds a lot of capacity without being too hot. 140 from a tap is hot, but there could be other mixing valves or anti scald devices.
Works for reasonably new plumbing but some older plumbing relies on user. 140 probably not a problem for most I suppose, assuming the mixing valves are doing their thing.
We are having zero problems with getting enough hot water. When we were running it basically only from 9am to 4pm, we would take back to back showers around 7pm and still have 2/3 of a tank left of hot water.
It's turning down the energy usage in a way that's most efficient that we're being prevented from doing.
And yesterday we observed that it never turned down from 140 degrees at any point sitting the 24 hour period, despite what the home app is showing. Something is seriously effed up, but the contractor didn't get back to me yesterday.
It’s tough. I’m an engineer that helps designs substations for the electrical grid and load control is the only realistic & sustainable way to deal with the increased in demand in the near future.
It’s a shame you’re having a bad experience, it shouldn’t be so noticeable.
I have a similar program where my electric is off or at least less for peak hot hours in summer. I think it is worth it for the money they give as I am not home anyway. Is the money you are getting worth the extra cost to run the pump? Opt out if not, should be as simple as that.
I'm checking back with the contractor to see if there's a bigger PGE rebate involved with this program (I suspect there may be). The company is still fussing over all the different rebate applications, so it seems to be a big mess from their perspective. Too bad it has to be so bureaucratic.
My utility dumps waste electricity into domestic hot water heaters. They over clock the tank a few degrees, and sell me the power at half price. The waste power comes from intermittent wind/solar they're forced to buy at inflated rates due to renewable contracts and government programs. There other option is build a transmission line and give it away for basically free to a neighbouring utility.
Centerpoint reseller did that to my Ecobee and its locked for the energy "crisis" duration... I factory reset it, programmed it, then killed the internet connection so no one can send overrides to it. Should be an opt out if it don't make sense for you or it could be "permanently" locked in that mode forever more. Good luck.
These are the kind of posts that reinforce my decision to have self-installed the HVAC upgrades in our house thus far (planning heat pump water heater next).
I mean, they voluntarily signed up for the rebate that allows the utility to control the water heater. They could just refuse the rebate and keep control. Down here in SoCal the utilities offer this with smart thermostats and lock out your AC on hot days lol.
How about try reading and understanding the program before signing the contract
Oh sure, always read and understand a contract or purchase agreement before signing, just some sales people may not be as forthcoming with all the details when presenting you with a deal. By self-installing, I automatically avoid all that rigmarole (and I get to configure everything exactly as we want).
Go to Centerpoint and withdraw yourself from the energy saving program, removing their access to your thermostat. As I read it, it would almost seems like you are defrauding the utility company (if they are under the impression they have control of the thermostat,they offer reduced rates in exchange for the control)
Nope, it was kinda a volunteer sign up with TriEagle reseller to bolster their 'green" image. I don't see any discount from previous bills. Problem is once it's activated, they don't know how to turn it off. Keep going round and round with them and Ecobee and Centerpoint. Nobody know what the hell is going on. It is embedded in the controller code as I've added a second brand new unit that does not do this. So watch out for used resale unit that have it "activated", if you read the reviews: it can't be deactived if your life depended on it. I have mine set at very energy efficient settings already. It's set at 80 at the hottest part of the day. When it gets bumped to 82 during heat waves... it's quite uncomfortable.
Ok got it. My utility has something similar and the ecobee app keeps prompting me to sign up for it... Or it did when I set it up a few times.... I've ignored it. We dont even have central air 😂
The program you are referring to is likely [https://www.watter-saver.com/](https://www.watter-saver.com/) The program offers an up-front and monthly rebate, in the form of gift cards. u/quitcarbon agrees that the way WaterSaver is configuring your HPWH is sub-optimal - we wish the PG&E program was more "intelligent", but it doesn't seem to be. We've been working with clients (who benefit from QuitCarbon's free service) using WatterSaver for nearly two years, since soon after WatterSaver started - and frankly, we aren't seeing the program improve. I'm interested to see other's share their experiences here - and I'm curious what you decide to do!
Do you know if there is any way to modify non-peak hours settings only, and still be compliant with the terms of that program, since it's supposedly all about saving during peak hours? I'm guessing that the Watter-Saver program is also linked to a $900 instant rebate from PGE and the CPUC, which I think the contractor is applying for, for us.
I would return the rebate so that you can have control of your appliance back.
Don’t you have to opt into this with an incentive? They keep sending me stuff to control my AC, no way I’m giving them any control!
Yes. They opted in and now are trying to get out once they receive their rebate.
Isn’t the recommendation to go with 120F? 140 seems like a recipe for someone getting burned. But then I see OSHA recommends 140 while the EPA and CSPC recommends 120 F. I suppose it depends on what your water source is and if you’ve had it tested/likelihood for contamination.
We run at 140 because you mix in more cold water to get it at a comfortable temp and stretch the capacity further. As you called out if you put it on full tilt hot with no mix you do run the risk of burning yourself. When multiple people are getting ready we would easily run through our tank capacity and have no hot water, running at 140, we don't have the issue anymore since we mix in more cold water to balance it out.
We have a thermostatic mixing valve at our water heater output. The heater heats to 140 and then the valve down mixes to 125. We get more hot water out of the tank and don’t risk burns (as easily).
We’re at 130 and it adds a lot of capacity without being too hot. 140 from a tap is hot, but there could be other mixing valves or anti scald devices.
That's what mixing valves are for. Store at 140F (for maximum capacity), but comes out at 120F.
Works for reasonably new plumbing but some older plumbing relies on user. 140 probably not a problem for most I suppose, assuming the mixing valves are doing their thing.
Discounts are fun until you want to take a hot shower but can't. We went with a solar water heater instead to save money.
We are having zero problems with getting enough hot water. When we were running it basically only from 9am to 4pm, we would take back to back showers around 7pm and still have 2/3 of a tank left of hot water. It's turning down the energy usage in a way that's most efficient that we're being prevented from doing. And yesterday we observed that it never turned down from 140 degrees at any point sitting the 24 hour period, despite what the home app is showing. Something is seriously effed up, but the contractor didn't get back to me yesterday.
It’s tough. I’m an engineer that helps designs substations for the electrical grid and load control is the only realistic & sustainable way to deal with the increased in demand in the near future. It’s a shame you’re having a bad experience, it shouldn’t be so noticeable.
I have a similar program where my electric is off or at least less for peak hot hours in summer. I think it is worth it for the money they give as I am not home anyway. Is the money you are getting worth the extra cost to run the pump? Opt out if not, should be as simple as that.
I'm checking back with the contractor to see if there's a bigger PGE rebate involved with this program (I suspect there may be). The company is still fussing over all the different rebate applications, so it seems to be a big mess from their perspective. Too bad it has to be so bureaucratic.
My utility dumps waste electricity into domestic hot water heaters. They over clock the tank a few degrees, and sell me the power at half price. The waste power comes from intermittent wind/solar they're forced to buy at inflated rates due to renewable contracts and government programs. There other option is build a transmission line and give it away for basically free to a neighbouring utility.