Would you like a FREE smart thermostat with FREE installation and a $100 bill credit? Join today!
Anza Electric Cooperative's Smart Thermostat Program helps curb electricity use when demand for energy is highest, which helps keep energy prices lower for all members! Participants get a Free Smart Thermostat when they agree to participate in AEC's temperature adjustment events for short periods of time on high demand days.
AEC will never turn off your thermostat and you can opt out of an event if you need to. There will never be more than 30 adjustment events in a year. If you participate in at least 65% of the events, you will get an annual bill credit of $100!
Below is a sample of a typical adjustment event. The start time of an event varies based on the condition of the electric grid and will never exceed 4 hours.
Summer Adjustment Event Example:
Thermostat setting is at 78° and event begins at 3 p.m.
| Time | Thermostat Setting |
| 3-4 p.m. | Adjusts to 76° |
| 4-5 p.m. | Adjusts to 80° |
| 5-6 p.m. | Adjusts to 81° |
| 6-7 p.m. | Adjusts to 82° |
| After 7 p.m. | Returns to 78°, event ends |
When you enroll in the AEC Smart Thermostat Program, you will receive:
A Free ecobee3 lite smart thermostat
Free installation by a licensed contractor
An annual bill credit of $100 for participating in at least 65% of annual adjustment events
Eligibility
To participate in the smart thermostat program, you must:
Be an AEC member
Be the homeowner of the AEC-served house
Sign a participation agreement
Have an internet connected, Wi-Fi enabled home
Click here to view the member participation agreement.
Get the FAQ's here.
If you are interested in signing up for this great program, please sign-up below.
You will be contacted by an AEC-approved contractor to schedule installation of your ecobee 3 lite thermostat. When the contractor visits, they will verify the thermostat is compatible with your HVAC system. Should the thermostat be incompatible, you will be released from any obligation related to the smart thermostat program.
Your installation will depend on the contractor's schedule.
AEC will cover the entire cost of the smart thermostat.
AEC is offering the ecobee3 lite thermostat, although other models may be offered in the future.
Right now, you can choose to receive an ecobee3 lite thermostat from AEC and have it installed in place of your existing smart thermostat. However, AEC may expand program enrollment in the future to members with existing smart thermostats, including certain models by ecobee, Honeywell, Emerson and Nest.
Please visit ecobee's online support center or call ecobee support at (877) 932-6233. AEC can adjust your thermostat during times of high energy demand only and cannot provide product support.
AEC-initiated adjustment events occur when AEC adjusts your thermostat's temperature setting to curb demand on the electric grid. Adjustment events are four hours long. In the first hour, AEC will pre-heat or pre-cool your home. In hours two through four, AEC will incrementally increase or decrease your thermostat's setting from its original setting. See the table above. Please note that AEC will not turn off your thermostat at any time.
Adjustment events occur on high energy-demand days during winter or summer - typically very cold mornings or hot, humid afternoons. Reducing electricity demand on these days helps to keep energy prices lower for all our members.
AEC will email you the day before or the day of an event.
Adjustment events may occur up to five times per month without exceeding 30 events per year. Up to two events may occur in the same week, possibly on successive days.
AEC does not want to control your thermostat. AEC seeks members who voluntarily agree to allow us to adjust their thermostats on days of highest electricity demand, which helps to keep electricity costs lower for all our members. As a thank-you for participating, you get a free smart thermostat and, if you participate in at least 65% of all adjustment hours-events in a year, a $100 bill credit.
Participation is 100% voluntary.
If you choose to enroll, you have the ability to opt out of up to 35% of event hours in a year - participating in 65% of the total event hours - and still earn a $100 bill credit.
For example, if AEC has 10 events in one year, each for a maximum of four hours, that's 40 total event hours. You would need to have participated in at least 26 of those 40 hours to earn a bill credit. You can opt out of one hour at a time or an entire four-hour event - the choice is yours.
So if your thermostat is set at 76 when an event starts, hour 1 lowers the setting to 74 to precool, hour 2 increases to 78, hour 3 to 79, and hour 4 to 80. If 80 is just too hot for you, you can override the setting and opt out of hour 4 only. Or if you have a situation that requires your thermostat setting to be maintained, your can override the entire event, up to four hours.
Because we can't predict the weather a year in advance, we encourage our participants to keep track of their adjustment-event hours throughout the year.
No, that's the maximum span of an adjustment event. It may be shorter, depending on the condition of the electric grid.
A properly installed and configured ecobee smart thermostat has been shown to save up to 23% in heating and cooling costs during normal operation. Yet on days when adjustment events occur, more energy will be required to pre-cool or pre-heat your home and to return your home to its regularly scheduled setting after the adjustment event concludes. On event days, you may not save energy from having your thermostat adjusted.
You can un-enroll from the program at any time by contacting AEC. However, if you un-enroll within one year of your installation, you may be charged for the cost of the thermostat and installation.
Call AEC at 951-763-4333 and ask to speak to Don Downing, the smart thermostat program manager, or email us at aec@anzaelectric.org.