Normally my thermostat is at 76 in the summer, which makes it about 78 in the living room.I never turn my thermostat below 78 in the summer, so I have no sympathy for the folks in the article.
Precooling the house to 71 with cheaper energy makes sense, if one has the insulation to maintain some comfort when it's 110+ outside. We spent some coin getting more insulation in the attic; it helped immensely.
All of these problems can be traced to Obama and his plan to outlaw coal. Look up his interview with the San Francisco Chronicle prior to his first immaculation.
He stated " under my plan, electricity rates will necessarily skyrocket..."
The EPA issued regs that essentially outlawed coal plants - regs that now have been shut down by SCOTUS.
The then-head of the EPA stated that the regs would probably be shot down, but it didn't matter. It would take a decade to get to the courts, and by that time all the coal plants would be gone.
He was right. That was the plan.