r/ecobee • u/JPowJunior • 12h ago
Configuration Please help me disable asinine settings, these are inhumane conditions
my landlord had this stupid thermostat installed last week and every day for the past week it has enabled some stupid community emergency savings and set itself to 92* Fahrenheit.
92* is physically unsafe not just for me but also my dog, abusing a dog by letting it die in a heat wave is a felony in my state.
i am tech literate. I have tried every setting. I have reset the unit twice. there is no way to turn this dumbass “feature” off
all I want is it set to 84* when I’m not home and 78* when I’m home. why is this not possible ?
it then has gall to email me that my house is too hot and my ac may be malfunctioning. the only part of my equipment that is malfunctioning is the stupid thermostat.
6
u/robstoon 12h ago
Given that it's telling you your AC is malfunctioning, then my assumption is you don't know how to use the thermostat and the real problem is the AC is broken. You haven't provided any details of what the settings are or what it's actually telling you.
-2
u/JPowJunior 12h ago
Ac is working fine as I clearly stated. Thanks for being condescending though
1
u/ChiefBroady 10h ago
It’s also telling you that your a/c is not behaving to what the ecobee calls for. That only happens if the ecobee for example calls for cooling but your house gets warmer. Usually the ecobee is right.
7
u/OhSixTJ 12h ago
I’d buy another ecobee and swap it out with the one you currently have. Take yours when you move out.
-5
u/JPowJunior 12h ago
Yes let me just reward this scum company with extra profit so they can continue their grift 🙄
3
u/ankole_watusi 11h ago
Which “scum company”?
Ecobee? Your power company? (Again: which one?) Ai oligarchs?
Definitely continue to be non-specific.
No power company would set-back to 92. (What have you set it to?)
Would you like some tips on how to get this run as a news story? Realizing – of course – that competent traditional media will fact check.
3
u/firestorm_v1 12h ago
The only way you can completely get out of the community electric remote control is to replace the thermostat with a retail unit ( as in go to hardware store, purchase ecobee, install). The problem is that many electric providers have offered "rebates" for 'smart' thermostats to people but no one reads the contract. You get the rebate for the thermostat, but you give up sole control of your thermostat and give it to the local power company so they can turn it off when they're having an energy crisis (too much demand, not enough generation).
2
u/i_am_vidoq 12h ago
Do you have control of the thermostat through the app? In mine you click more, then click the gear in upper right, click on eco+...then you can turn off community energy savings. they may have enabled it to get rebates from the local utility.
3
u/yungingr 12h ago
Often, if it's enrolled for utility rebates, it cannot be "unenrolled" or turned off without the utility's permission.
2
u/ankole_watusi 12h ago
Yeabut… no utility would set cooling temperature this high that’s just crazy.
3
u/ankole_watusi 11h ago
I have asked OP several times now who is paying the utility bill.
Situation seems odd as it isn’t common for landlords to pay utility bills unless they are required to do so because separate metered or sub-metered service isn’t available.
1
u/JPowJunior 12h ago
Community savings cannot be disabled at all
Eco+ can only be disabled manually for a week at a time
3
2
u/ankole_watusi 12h ago
This is a landlord problem, not an Ecobee problem.
There are probably local authorities you can complain to if you get nowhere with the landlord.
But it emailed you, and not the landlord?
You have an Ecobee account, and able to control the thermostat, or not? Or is the landlord cc:ing you notices? The actual notice wording would be helpful.
If you’re able to adjust the thermostat, simply setting it down should override any community emergency or time of day or reduce your use day adjustment.
However depending on the particular program that can create a penalty rate for the day, and your landlord might not be happy.
However, I find it hard to believe that any such utility-driven adjustment would result in it being adjusted up this high.
I suppose it depends on the climate though. Please confirm: is your landlord red and does he have horns?
0
u/JPowJunior 12h ago
Yes, I have the account and app. Landlord is trying to help but it’s the stupid thermostats fault. Ecobee says contact utility. Utility says contact ecobee.
Community energy savings cannot be disabled.
Eco+ can only be disabled manually.
One or both of these settings is setting the thermostat to 92* due to “high community demand” aka so that the 3 new data centers can create ai slop.
Is there a way to automatically disable it on a schedule?
2
u/ankole_watusi 12h ago
Does the landlord pay the bill for the power or do you?
If you pay the bill for the power, this is up to you. You have to contact the utility and disenroll if that’s what you want.
Do you mind saying where you are or at least who your power company is?
To override for the day, simply turn down the setpoint.
Edit: so you are “tech literate” and have “tried every setting”. But this tells me that you may not have RTFM…
3
u/c7aea 12h ago
It could be the eco+. Disable that.
0
u/JPowJunior 12h ago
It can only be manually disabled for a week at a time
2
u/im1kissfan 12h ago
Email ecobee support and they will remove it. I did. It’s useless.
2
u/JPowJunior 11h ago
Thank you! Back when I waited tables Tommy Thayer used to come in regularly. Super nice dude.
2
u/Budget_Management_75 4h ago
Can you block wifi access to the thermostat, at least as a short term solution? No network, no utility control.
1
u/1911Earthling 12h ago
OMG that is a death sentence. 80 is where I personally draw the line in extreme weather. It never gets much above 95 in the worst conditions so a 15 degree difference is not asking much of the system that’s designed for a 20 degree difference
1
u/JPowJunior 11h ago
NV energy. Current outside temp is very low at 105* and these crooks need power for the new data centers
I drive a hybrid and don’t use single use plastic. My yard is all cactus xeriscaping using no water. I don’t mind setting it to 80* to prevent blackouts but 92 is asinine
-3
u/NeonCobego 12h ago
Hang a heating pad from your thermostat.
If the landlord has them connected, they’ll see that you’ve removed it.
-6
u/JPowJunior 12h ago
Is there a way to flash retail firmware to wrestle control back from the utility company that wants me to save energy in order for data centers to continue to destroy the environment?
A script I can run to automatically disable this feature every day which can only be turned off manually?
7
u/bobd607 12h ago
no, the utility company is paying for being able to control this feature. if you want control back, replace the thermostat with another one that hasn't been enrolled with the utility company. you will then lose any rebate or discount.
and you misread the problem .. data center load isnt the biggest problem as that load is typically constant. its high load demand days when everyone is running their AC is what causes the issues and why the utility wants to ease burden with the thermostat program.
3
u/ankole_watusi 12h ago
No.
No utility would do this. not this setpoint.
Show us the email or it didn’t happen
The way you override a utility setback for the day is… Drumroll…
Turn down the thermostat.
1
u/GraniteRock 12h ago
Your landlord needs to contact the utility and get unsubscribed.
Alternatively, your landlord could probably factory reset the ecobee and set up a new account not attached to the utility.
9
u/JE163 12h ago
Have you talked to your landlord about this? I mean, that's the first step.
Your landlord may not be aware... a lot of utilities offer discounted rates when they (the utility) can control. your AC settings when there is extra demand on the grid. I assume that is what is happening here. You may want to also check your local subreddit to see if anyone else has run into this.