Submitted by carne__asada t3_zqsqju in newjersey
This isn't new but I was surprised by how many people weren't aware this was a thing. Sharing here in case it's news to you. These marketplaces are also good for occasional nearly free light bulbs , surge protectors , shower heads ect..,
They also give rebates for appliances. I bought a heat pump dryer and got $300 From jcpl
Got 75$ for my new refrigerator.
Are these the ones they control remotely during “peak power periods”
No. Regular wifi thermostats.
Do you own one? Its possible, they have done stuff like this in the past out of state: https://www.kiro7.com/news/trending/denver-area-power-company-takes-over-thermostats-thousands-customers/M2MI3M2LGZFEXEI7KLALATWUYU/
Yes. It's a regular brand-name (Nest or Sensi) boxed thermostat like you would buy from Amazon. I have seen the ones that allow the power companies to control, and you'd be crazy to install one of those unless they're going to offer a substantial discount.
It's opt in. You can say no when you set it up.
I got 2 Nests and my mom got 2 ecobee3s and they are all fine. Been using them about 2 years from NJNG.
Not to sound like a boomer or a dumbass (honestly i'm in my twenties), but why does one use a smart thermostat?
To adjust the temp when you're not home?
I have radiators. Simple thermostats suck because of the lag in the system. Let's say it stops calling for heat at 68F. Well, the radiators are still hot so even though the system's off, the temp will rise to about 72F. Then when the house gradually cools down to 67F it will call for heat, but the radiators are cold and need time to warm up. So it will keep dropping to 66...65...64... result is a you get an 8 degree swing through the day, which is pretty uncomfortable.
The smart thermostat "learns" the lag and keeps my house within 2-3 degrees all day. Plus my heating doesn't have "zones" so I can use the thermostat's remote sensors to tell it to keep the poorly insulated bedroom at a comfortable temp during the night and ignore the rest of the house, and vice-versa during the day.
The remote features are nice conveniences IMO (like turning the heat up early if I'm coming home from work, so it can come up to temp by the time I get home), but that's what got me to buy one.
thank you for explaining that what a nice explanation, i've never lived with radiators so I didnt know that thank you! My 'nonsmart'(?) / digital thermostat also has programming, so I agree the heat being on before I get home is excellent. mine is just set to 5:30p m-f on the thermo.
I bet you could even do a shortcut on apple with an NFC tag that automatically sends a message to your thermo to start. Get in your car, tap the tag, your heat starts at home and then by the time you get home, boom heat. Or set just an alert that says "you're X minutes from home, start heat?"
My parents have this built in. If there isn’t a smartphone with the app installed in the house, the hvac goes into away mode.
Wow. I have a 2-zone hydronic system and this sounds like exactly what I need.
It sounds like something was seriously wrong with your old thermostat or furnace. I have old steam radiators and have never experienced such dramatic temperature swings. When my thermostat calls for heat my radiators are hot within 5-10 minutes. There is no way your temperature should be dropping 3-4 degrees while the radiators are warming up.
I have hot water radiators, which are much slower than steam. The hot water is 70 degrees cooler than steam, and it takes longer to heat up all the water circulating through the system, which in turn has to heat up the radiators before they start heating the house, than it takes for steam to start heating up the radiators.
I'll grant you 8 degrees is an exception -- mostly when a warm-ish day where the system hasn't had to run very much turns to a very cold and very windy night. But a 4-5 degree swing is very typical and definitely noticeable, especially when trying to sleep through the "too hot" part of the swing.
How does installation go for these? I've got Honeywell programmable thermostats throughout the house. Do any smart thermostats plug in to the existing wiring/socket?
Some (but not all) of the smart thermostats require an extra "C" wire compared to a standard thermostat. If you don't have this wire then you either need to use a thermostat that doesn't need it or pull a new wire. Most of the ecobees come with an adaptor to not require the wire and some of the Nest thermostats also do not need the wire (but still recommend it). Otherwise you just turn off power, unscrew the old one , disconnect the wires and reconnect to the new thermostat.
Also not every thermostat is compatible with every type of HVAC system so you need to check before you pick one.
Perhaps in the near future I should set up one of these home energy consults with PSE&G. They could probably advise on what type of thermostat would be compatible and whether I need some wiring work done.
Also, because I don't know where else to put this . . .
I've got a Mitsubishi mini-split A/C system. Mitsubishi offers a wireless smart thermostat solution as an add-on to the base system. It is expensive, requires professional installation, and the equipment is backordered due to supply chain issues, etc. However, I came across a simpler third-party solution. They're called Flair Pucks. They're basically wall-mounted IR remote controls that integrate with a wi-fi enabled hub and/or smart thermostat.
PSE&G gave me a free Google Nest thermostat but when I tried installing it, I learned that my apt lacks a C wire. I was able to sell the Nest for $50 though.
The Honeywell is so much better
I'm doing just fine with them, true. Each has 4 "set points" for weekdays and 4 for weekends.
But, it would be nice if they were easier to program and I didn't have to do each floor separately. For example, my house is usually occupied throughout the day. But, if we were really all going to be out all day, turning down the heat just that day would be useful.
Have taken advantage of these. I was actually between power companies at one point before moving so I was able to circumvent the quantity limits by buying through both.
One of the few instances where it’s a win win for both us and the utility company. Love it.
I wanted to replace My nest thermostat and I got a good discount from JCP&L
I got $100 off an ecobee through them and it took almost 3 months to get it even though it was listed as “in stock” when I placed the order. They kept giving me a runaround and stringing me along by giving fake delivery dates. For three months. Honestly more trouble than the savings was worth.
Nest blows
I can pretty much guarantee if the power company is providing it, they will take control of your system in peak usage times.
That's not the case with these. Some power companies do that but not the NJ ones.
Smart thermostats are useless. Set it and forget it.
lost_in_life_34 t1_j10hbju wrote
just a heads up, many of these aren't compatible if you have the most efficient HVAC systems that are inverter based