BEC’s Smart Thermostat Program: Enroll & Get $96 per Year in ApolloWatt Bill Credits!
Bandera Electric Cooperative is excited to launch a new program to help curb electricity use when demand for energy is highest, which keeps energy prices lower for all of our members. BEC Smart Thermostat Program participants will receive a Free ecobee3 lite Smart Thermostat and free installation by a licensed contractor when they agree to allow BEC to adjust the thermostat’s temperature for short amounts of time on high demand days.
Please know that BEC will never turn off your thermostat, and you always have the ability to override the adjustment. And when you participate in at least 70% of the events, you will get monthly an $8 ApolloWatt bill credit!
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Smart thermostats are Wi-Fi-enabled devices that help manage the energy used by your home’s heating and cooling system. Some smart thermostats learn your temperature preferences and automatically adjust your home’s heating and cooling system to help you save energy.
Program Eligibility
To take advantage of BEC’s Smart Thermostat Program, members must agree to participate in cooling and heating adjustments, have a qualified smart thermostat, and be accepted into our Energy Saver Program. To participate, your smart thermostat must be connected to your home internet. Looking for 100% Fiber Broadband internet? Check to see if you are eligible for BEC Fiber.
Our Smart Thermostat program offers the ecobee3 lite thermostat.
How It Works
BEC’s Smart Thermostat Program is in a pilot phase for 2024. Our goal is to deploy at least 325 thermostats enrolled in the smart thermostat program. When the program is operational a member with an enrolled thermostat can expect BEC to raise or lower smart thermostats to manage energy usage in participating homes during peak energy events. Brief adjustments (called “controls”) will be made to enrolled thermostats during times of high demand or critical need. In most cases, you won’t even notice these adjustments. You’ll save energy and money without sacrificing comfort.
You can opt out of any control event by manually adjusting your thermostat. However, participants opting out of more than 30% of program control minutes will not be eligible for some program incentives and may be subject to a $250 fee.
Program Incentives
BEC Smart Thermostat participants will receive a $8 ApolloWatt monthly bill credit if they meet the participation requirements of participating in at least 70% of the program control minutes.
Controlling your thermostat reduces strain on the electric grid and helps keep energy costs lower for everyone. While BEC offers direct savings for you, everyone wins when the result is a more efficient electric system.
The Smart Thermostat Program will run annually beginning in March 2024. The current program structure or continuation is not guaranteed year after year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Residential members who own a BEC-served home with Wi-Fi and join BEC's Energy Saver Program are eligible.
Absolutely. During the events, you will always have the ability to override the thermostat adjustment.
No. You will always be able to control your thermostat.
BEC does not want to control your thermostat. BEC seeks members who voluntarily agree to allow us to adjust their thermostats on the days of highest electricity demand, which helps keep electricity costs lower for all members. As a thank-you for participating, you get a free smart thermostat and, if you participate in at least 70% of all adjustment hours you will receive a monthly $8 ApolloWatt bill credit.
The start time and length of these events depends on the stress of the demand on the power grid at a given time. The first hour of the events will be precooling or preheating.
The specific temperature will vary based on your original setting. The temperature setting will never be adjusted more than 4 degrees in either direction.
You will be contacted by an BEC Representative to schedule installation of your ecobee3 lite thermostat. When the contractor visits, they will verify the thermostat is compatible with your HVAC system. Should the thermostat be incompatible, you will be ineligible for the Smart Thermostat Program and the ApolloWatts incentive. The Energy Saver Program charge originally agreed upon will continue until the obligation has been met.
Yes! Members who participate in at least 70% of the yearly adjustment events will receive a monthly $8 ApolloWatt bill credit.
You can un-enroll from the program at any time by contacting BEC. However, if you un-enroll from the program before the 3-year contract is up, you may be charged for the cost of the thermostat and installation.
Your installation will depend on the contractor’s schedule.
BEC will cover the entire cost of the ecobee3 lite smart thermostat.
BEC is offering the ecobee3 lite thermostat, although other models may be offered in the future.
Right now, you can enroll in the Energy Saver Program to receive an ecobee3 lite thermostat from BEC and have it installed in place of your existing smart thermostat. However, BEC may expand program enrollment in the future to members with existing smart thermostats, including certain models by ecobee, Honeywell, Emerson, and Nest.
Please visit ecobee’s online support center or call ecobee support at (877) 932-6233. BEC can adjust your thermostat during times of high energy demand only and cannot provide product support.
BEC-initiated adjustment events occur when BEC adjusts your thermostat’s temperature setting to curb demand on the electric grid. In the first hour, BEC will precool your home. After the first hour, BEC will incrementally increase or decrease your thermostat’s setting from its original setting. Please note that BEC will not turn off your thermostat at any time.
Adjustment events occur on high energy demand days during hot, humid afternoons. Reducing electricity demand on these days helps to keep energy prices lower for all members.
BEC will email you the day before or the day of an event. During the event, your thermostat will indicate an override of the programmed setting.
Call BEC at (866) 226-3372 and speak with our member relations team or fill out the contact form on our website.