New update helps ensure grid stability during extreme weather in select regions
TORONTO – May 30, 2024 – Smart home leader ecobee today released a new update to its eco+ Community Energy Savings feature to protect customers from power outages caused by extreme weather. During North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Emergency Event Alert (EEA) or equivalent events, customers who are not already enrolled in a utility demand response program will receive an alert on their ecobee Smart Thermostat and ecobee mobile app informing them that their home is at risk of an outage. Customers then receive recommended, automated temperature adjustments to help ensure grid stability.
With this update, customers are in control and can opt out of any changes before or even during the event. Those who choose to conserve energy and help protect their communities from disruptive outages will see adjustments of only 1-4 degrees that last no more than four hours.
According to NERC, two-thirds of North America is at risk of energy shortages during high-demand periods that stress the energy grid. With ecobee’s new update, customers can allow their ecobee Smart Thermostat to reduce demand, creating less strain on the grid and helping to avoid outages in their community. ecobee’s Community Energy Savings feature is one of six eco+ smart features available on ecobee smart thermostats. Together, these features help people use cleaner energy automatically, while saving up to 26% on annual heating and cooling costs.*
“Everyone has a role to play in conserving energy and helping ensure grid stability,” said Kari Binley, Senior Manager, Energy Partnerships at ecobee. “This update helps communities take control of their energy savings and avoid potentially dangerous outages during high demand periods.”
The new update provides customers with an automated solution for additional home energy resiliency. It reflects ecobee’s commitment to sustainability and helping communities conserve energy while reducing waste and emissions. Furthermore, customers can choose to participate in their utility's demand response program if they would like to take advantage of these automated adjustments more often and receive a financial incentive from their utility provider.
To learn more about this update and how ecobee is helping customers save more energy automatically, visit ecobee’s blog post.
* Compared to a hold of 72°F/22°C.
About ecobee
ecobee Inc. was founded in 2007 with a mission to simplify everyday life while creating a more sustainable world. Since launching the world’s first smart thermostat in 2009, ecobee has helped customers across North America save over 31 TWh of energy, which is the equivalent of taking all the homes in Los Angeles and Chicago off the grid for a year. Today, ecobee continues to innovate with smart home solutions that solve everyday problems with comfort, protection, and conservation in mind. In 2021, ecobee joined Generac Holdings Inc. (NYSE: GNRC), a leading global designer and manufacturer of energy technology solutions, and other power products. Generac and ecobee share a vision to deliver a cleaner and more sustainable energy future for customers and communities. The Generac and ecobee home of the future will be more comfortable, secure, resilient, and efficient. For more information, visit ecobee.com.
Generac Power Systems (NYSE:GNRC) is a leading energy technology company that provides backup and prime power products and energy storage systems for home and business applications, as well as energy monitoring and management devices and services, along with other power products. Founded in 1959, Generac introduced the first affordable backup generator and later created the category of automatic home standby generator. The Company has continued to expand its energy technology offerings in its mission to lead the evolution to more resilient, efficient, and sustainable energy solutions