No.
Last year we used our own manual thermostats, this we year we bought programmable thermostats of our choosing.
OG&E thermostats are a "bonus" of the program, certainly not a requirement.
Not exactly. They also have basic information about the size and type of structure. So your home is compared to others that have the same approx square footage and they compare apartments to apartments and houses to houses. I believe that when we signed up and logged in to the site they also asked for the number of people living in the home so that may factor in as well.
It would not be fair to compare a 8000 sq foot house to a 1250 sq foot apartment, though having more efficient appliances and hvac equipment is what helps the neighbors out.
Shotty
I hate having it hot and wish I could keep it at 70-72 and not worry, sadly I have to make sure costs are cut where ever possible or risk not making it through the month.
The OGE thermostats likely get data on the costs and allow to save the most but stay comfortable when the cost stays low. I know Austin, TX has something that is basically the same on the water heaters at some places. My step daughter was living in some apartments off of Ridgepoint Drive working for Activision Blizzard. During certain times of the day the power company could turn off the electric water heaters to prevent brownouts. Actually would be a nice added feature with OGE. . . never know when they are kicking on.
How did people ever survive before AC? I'm appreciative of my house AC when it's 100 degrees outside, but I do keep the thermostat at 78 both to cut down on costs and to reduce my carbon footprint. Still, I wonder how Oklahomans before the 1930s dealt with the summer heat - other than being more lean than folks today 
People were tougher back then and didn't complain as much. Why? Because they were working and not typing on a keyboard or sitting infront of the TV while texting on their smart phone all while in an airconditioned house.
My boss was notorious for not running the AC until it got so unbearable in the house everyone was pissing and moaning. It wasn't until after the last kid moved out that he started using it more and more.
My boss was notorious for not running the AC until it got so unbearable in the house everyone was pissing and moaning. It wasn't until after the last kid moved out that he started using it more and more.
How did people ever survive before AC? I'm appreciative of my house AC when it's 100 degrees outside, but I do keep the thermostat at 78 both to cut down on costs and to reduce my carbon footprint. Still, I wonder how Oklahomans before the 1930s dealt with the summer heat - other than being more lean than folks today
Didn't have A/C till I got home from the Navy in 1970 in our house in Woodward. Took chairs outside and sat in the yard to 11 pm in the summer. Just too hot in the house.
They survived pretty much the way everyone does in hot climates without AC. When it gets hot you sit in the shade and do pretty much nothing. . . maybe even get some sleep. Had a farm house that had been in the family for quite a while that had 12 foot ceilings on the main floor. This was another way to help keep the house cool. Heat rises so it will stay cooler down where your body occupies the space. You will even see some houses with tall ceilings and some small windows up near the ceiling that can be opened. This lets the heat vent out naturally and the cooler air come inside.
Our society wants to move and do things all day long so when it's hot out we either have to really suffer or turn on the AC. It's also different working outside in the heat compared to being indoors. I worked on a concrete paving crew operating steel inserters on the paver. I had to walkabout 10 steps on a steel beam on the machine to insert a piece of rebar and hit a switch to have it rammed into the slab then go to the next one. Ran three inserters in 100 degree heat for about 10 hours a day three days in one week and logged about 75 hours on a five and a half day work week. By Saturday afternoon I was dunking my head in cool water to just stay upright. Job site was about a two hour drive from home and the whole way I wished I had AC in my car.
On another note, seem my neighbors can't handle the heat. . . lol.
Our society wants to move and do things all day long so when it's hot out we either have to really suffer or turn on the AC. It's also different working outside in the heat compared to being indoors. I worked on a concrete paving crew operating steel inserters on the paver. I had to walkabout 10 steps on a steel beam on the machine to insert a piece of rebar and hit a switch to have it rammed into the slab then go to the next one. Ran three inserters in 100 degree heat for about 10 hours a day three days in one week and logged about 75 hours on a five and a half day work week. By Saturday afternoon I was dunking my head in cool water to just stay upright. Job site was about a two hour drive from home and the whole way I wished I had AC in my car.
On another note, seem my neighbors can't handle the heat. . . lol.
We have AEP stupid hours and our electric bill for a 2000sq ft house keeping the AC unit set on 73, 24/7, runs us 152.00 during the summer. That's including 2 saltwater tanks running T5 lighting, 3 computers, 4 flat screen tv's, two refrigerators and a freezer.
Giving up control of my AC during peak hours doesn't seem worth 10 bucks a week in savings. But then again, fat guys don't like to sit in humid warm houses, and 76 to 78 is considered hot to us.
Giving up control of my AC during peak hours doesn't seem worth 10 bucks a week in savings. But then again, fat guys don't like to sit in humid warm houses, and 76 to 78 is considered hot to us.
That is understandable, you would also run the risk of killing your tanks unless you have a chiller and even then that will just cost and heat up the house more. It's not a plan for everyone. But if you can deal with it heating up a little and would otherwise end up paying a lot more it's worth it.
I recently had our smart hours canceled after doing the math and found out that we were actually paying more per kwh than before. On the program our average pp kwh was $.14 for the months of June - July. Last year our average was between $.08 - $.09 about $.05 cheaper. We did save $66 compared to June-July 2012 but was it worth it? Last year the average temp was over 100 degrees for those same months, we kept the thermostat at 72 and had a tv & pc on all day. It was not much savings at all considering what we had to endure. Now we are back on standard pricing $.08 up to 1400 kwh then $.09 1400 + kwh. I imagine if we keep all the electronics off most of the day and set the temp around 74 we will save about the same.
