AUSTIN, Texas — Adjusting your thermostat is a pretty normal task, but Joan Jensen says someone else has been taking over that task for her.
"I came in twice last week and my thermostat was changed to 80 after being gone for about an hour or so,” said Jensen. "I did not touch the thermostat. I wasn't there. I came in and my house was 80 degrees."
The stay-at-home mom has three kids and two pets. Living at a comfortable temperature is important to them.
"I don't know how this is happening, but I've never had my thermostat set to 80,” Jensen said.
Jensen is concerned about her family's well-being, especially since they went multiple days without power during the big Texas winter storm. When ERCOT started asking Texans to safely reduce their electric use, it set off some alarms for her.
RELATED: Heat is on: Texas residents find their thermostats remotely adjusted by power companies
"There was nothing rolling about that blackout,” Jensen said. " Now I'm concerned that they're going to do it again in the middle of the summer and we're going to be just hot and all our food is going to go bad again."
Her power company, Reliant Energy, does have what they call a "Degrees of Difference” program, where the company automatically adjusts thermostats a few degrees during "specified conservation events.” However, Jensen says she has never heard of it.
"Conserve or live with it 85 degrees in my house? Because that's not feasible,” said Jensen. “Okay, we have no problem doing our part, but when are you going to do your part by fixing the grid? Because August is only going to be hotter."
We received this statement from Reliant Energy:
Reliant’s demand response program, Degrees of Difference, provides incentives to customers who volunteer to occasionally reduce their electricity usage during the hottest times of the day. Customers must opt in to participate in the program. We have a do-it-yourself version for those with traditional thermostats and an automated version for those with smart thermostats. For those with smart thermostats, the customer registers their thermostat and the thermostat is adjusted a few degrees when there is a need to conserve energy. Most customers never notice the change. We stress that the customer is always in control of the temperature in their home. If they notice the change and are uncomfortable, they can adjust at any time.
Reliant has also offered to reach out directly to Jensen to see how they can help by researching her particular issue.