More than 200 York Electric members have purchased ecobee thermostats at a discounted rate since the co-op introduced its Smart Thermostat Program in November 2019.
Using ecobees gives these members greater control of home comfort settings—and, potentially, energy savings. If that sounds good to you, here’s more information:
Who can participate?
Any YEC residential members who have a reliable Wi-Fi internet connection in their home.
What is the cost of an ecobee thermostat?
An ecobee 3 lite will be discounted to $85 for YEC members. An ecobee smart thermostat with voice control will be discounted to $145 for members.
How do I qualify for cash back?
Members who purchase a smart thermostat will need to participate in at least 70 percent of peak events in the Beat the Peak program throughout the year to receive $100 after one year. If you continue to participate in 70 percent of peak events, you will also receive $50 yearly.
How do I sign up? Contact Brent Clinton at Brent.Clinton@yorkelectric.net or apply online here.
[PDF] YEC ecobee Smart Thermostat Agreement
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Smart Thermostat FAQ
Any YEC residential members who have a reliable WiFi internet connection in their home.
Whomever you choose. After the thermostat is installed and we verify the signal, YEC will reimburse you $75 towards your installation cost. You will also be required to provide your receipt.
When the cooperative purchases power, energy at those peak hours is more expensive. The more we can cut down on how much energy is used during those periods, the lower our power bill will be. We will use that savings to hold down costs for our members.
- You must be a member of York Electric;
- You must sign the participation agreement;
- You must have an internet-connected, Wi-Fi enabled home.
A smart thermostat is a programmable thermostat that connects to your home’s WiFi and gives you the ability to adjust your thermostat setting to fit your schedule and save energy.
About 5-6 times per month, the thermostat will be adjusted remotely based on system-wide peak periods.
The events will be 4 hours total, which includes a one-hour pre-cool/pre-heat period and three hours of peak-saving adjustment. The control will follow this pattern:
Pre-cooling/pre-heating: +/- 2 degrees
First hour: +/- 2 degrees
Second hour: +/- 3 degrees
Third hour: +/- 4 degrees
SUMMER EXAMPLE
If you normally have your thermostat set to 75, a typical control event beginning at 3 p.m. would look like this:
3:00-4:00 p.m.: Thermostat adjusted to 73
4:00-5:00 p.m.: Thermostat adjusted to 77
5:00-6:00 p.m.: Thermostat adjusted to 78
6:00-7:00 p.m.: Thermostat adjusted to 79
After 7 p.m.: Thermostat returns to 75, control relinquished
WINTER EXAMPLE
If you normally have your thermostat set to 67, a typical control event beginning at 6 a.m. would look like this:
6:00-7:00 a.m.: Thermostat adjusted to 69
7:00-8:00 a.m.: Thermostat adjusted to 65
8:00-9:00 a.m.: Thermostat adjusted to 64
9:00-10:00 a.m.: Thermostat adjusted to 63
After 10 a.m.: Thermostat returns to 67, control relinquished
Members who purchase a smart thermostat will need to participate in at least 60 percent of peak events throughout the year to receive $100 after one year. If you continue to participate in 60 percent of peak events, you will also receive $50 yearly.
It’s easy to get started.
- Complete and sign the participation agreement (PDF download below) and bring it into our York headquarters or Fort Mill office to purchase the thermostat of your choice; see options below.
- Or apply online here
You’ll be notified of control during peak times on the device’s display with an option to override. You can override control up to 40 percent of the time. If you were to exceed 40 percent, a member is not eligible for participation credit per year.
York Electric’s smart thermostat program gives members the opportunity to purchase an ecobee smart thermostat at a discounted rate. Members can also bring their own eligible smart thermostats. By participating in the program, members will agree to allow the cooperative to control the thermostat during peak periods.
Please contact Brent Clinton at Brent.Clinton@yorkelectric.net or Shane Baker at Shane.Baker@yorkelectric.net if you wish to opt out of controlled thermostat use during peak periods.
An ecobee Smart Thermostat Advanced will be discounted to $90 for YEC members, and an ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium will be discounted to $145 for YEC members.
York Electric members can purchase the ecobee Smart Thermostat Advanced or ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium. Both have digital touchscreen displays and both can be controlled and scheduled using a computer or device (phone or tablet).
Both accomplish the same tasks, but the ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium has Amazon Alexa built-in. It is voice-activated and has many of the features that come with Amazon Echo devices. The ecobee also comes with an added room sensor to provide more effective cooling and heating.
