Colorado residents denied control of their own thermostats during heat wave

Xcel energy customers in Denver, Colorado were locked out of adjusting their own thermostats on Tuesday even as temperatures reached the 90s.

According to local ABC news, the vice president of customer solutions and innovation at Xcel, Emmett Romine, said "Let's remember that this is something that customers choose to be a part of based on the incentives."

Roughly 20,000 Xcel customers were denied control of their "smart thermostats" for hours and were informed it was an energy emergency. Romine said that the Colorado AC Rewards program was "voluntary" and that customers must give up their control in exchange for a $100 enrollment credit and a few other perks.

According to Romine, "it helps everybody for people to participate in these programs. It is a bit uncomfortable for a short period of time, but it's very, very helpful."

The Colorado AC Rewards installs both a smart thermostat and solar panels in a customer's home and has existed in Denver for six years.

Romine said as customers cede control it helps the company save energy and become more reliable. The "energy emergency" that locked out customers was attributed to heavy AC usage.

"I mean, it was 90 out, and it was right during the peak period," said Xcel customer Tony Talarico.

Talarico claimed that lockouts had happened in the past but that they could be overridden. In this case he couldn't and his thermostat was stuck at "78 or 79" degrees.

"To me, an emergency means there is, you know, life, limb, or, you know, some other danger out there — some, you know, massive wildfires. Even if it's a once-in-a-blue-moon situation, it just doesn't sit right with us to not be able to control our own thermostat in our house," Talarico said.