Smart Thermostat FAQs

OPPD’s Thermostat Program is a bring-your-own thermostat program, designed to reward customers for saving energy when demand for electricity is high, using smart, Wi-Fi enabled thermostats. OPPD customers who own a qualifying thermostat and enroll in the Thermostat Program can receive a one-time $75 credit on their OPPD bill. They can receive an additional $20 credit annually for their participation.

You can check the compatibility of each thermostat brand on the following websites. 

• Ecobee:  https://www.ecobee.com/en-us/compatibility/thermostat/
• Emerson: https://sensi.emerson.com/en-us/support/compatibility
• Honeywell: https://www.honeywellhome.com/us/en/thermostat-wiring-compatibility/
• NEST: https://store.google.com/us/widget/compatibility/thermostat 

Participants can receive the one-time $75 bill credit within 90 days of signing up. They will receive the $20 annual bill credit in September. If you are on a Level Payment plan through OPPD, these credits will be applied to your normal level payment amount during the periods noted above.

Beyond the credits for enrollment, participating in the program helps to keep energy costs low during peak energy times and helps reduce strain on the electrical system.

No, customers that receive devices from any special OPPD-sponsored promotion are not eligible for the initial $75 credit.

Yes, all customers are eligible for the annual $20 bill credit for their participation in the program.

• Before each event you’ll get a proactive notification on your thermostat and app.
• Events will occur up to 15 days per year, between May–October excluding holidays
• Events will occur only on weekdays between 12 p.m. and 9 p.m. and last no more than 4 hours
• Only one event per day, and there will never be more than three events in a week
• Your Smart Thermostat may automatically adjust temperatures before and during an event to balance comfort and energy savings. If it gets too warm, you can manually adjust the temperature at any time.

If you currently have an eligible smart thermostat, you can enroll directly from your smart thermostat app or from our Smart Thermostat webpage at OPPD.com/SmartThermostat.

Smart thermostats are a great way to help reduce energy usage throughout the year. In regard to our Program, beyond the bill credits mentioned above, OPPD does not offer ongoing monthly bill credits through this program. Energy and cost savings from using a Wi-Fi-enabled thermostat vary by home; please check with your thermostat manufacturer for any estimates.

Your smart thermostat will start pre-cooling your home up to one hour prior to the event. Please note that each home will perform differently based on your individual heating and cooling patterns and your home’s individual thermal properties.

Yes, as always, you will be notified of each event via your smart thermostat and app. In these events, your system will precool your home for up to 1 hour before the event starts.

In rare cases, OPPD may initiate a critical event with a 10-minute notification window. In those cases, your system will not pre-cool your home. Due to the urgent nature of the event, they may occur any day or time during the week including weekends.

Yes, your smart thermostat learns your comfort level and your home’s thermal envelope, or unique thermal properties. You are always in control, and you can change the temperature at any time.

When the Smart Thermostat event is over, your thermostat will return to its normal preferred schedule and settings.

Please email customerservice@oppd.com or call 402-536-4131 to be removed from the program. We do ask that you try the program for a year before withdrawing from the program.

To participate in our program, you will need to have all air conditioning units and/or thermostats enrolled. You can receive a one-time $75 bill credit for each thermostat as well as a $20 annual bill credit for each thermostat.

During program events, all thermostats will be managed to best suit your home’s comfort level and to meet the needs of the event.

• Ecobee: https://www.ecobee.com/en-us/installation/
• Emerson: https://sensi.emerson.com/en-us/support/sensi-manuals
• Honeywell: https://www.honeywellhome.com/us/en/support/air/thermostats/product-selector/manuals/
• NEST: https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9248184?hl=en&ref_topic=9361967

Many local contractors may install smart thermostats.

OPPD will only have access to your smart thermostat during events.

OPPD will adjust your thermostat prior to and during a program event.

Smart thermostats are available at many major retailers, heating and air conditioning contractors, hardware stores, select furniture stores, and more. You may also purchase online through the thermostat manufacturers or various distributors.

You are required to stay enrolled in the Smart Thermostat Program, have your thermostat connected to Wi-Fi, and have an active account with your thermostat manufacturer.

To be eligible to participate you must:

• Be an OPPD residential service account-holder
• Have a working central air conditioner, heat pump or geothermal system
• Have an operable, compatible thermostat
• Have a wireless network at your residence
• Have an active account with the thermostat manufacturer and have the thermostat linked to that account
• Not be already enrolled in Cool Smart. Email customerservice@oppd.com or call 402-536-4131 to cancel enrollment in Cool Smart prior to enrolling in the Thermostat Program.
• Agree to terms and conditions
• Remain enrolled for 12 months or risk forfeit of credits

Yes. You may choose to opt out of a Smart Thermostat event any day via your phone app or thermostat.

Cool Smart is an air conditioning management program and a partnership between the customer and OPPD. This program helps drive down energy demand on the hottest days of summer using an outdoor device attached to the air conditioning unit. Participating customers can receive $30 for signing up and another $20 each year they stay in the program. OPPD owns, installs and operates the air conditioning management devices.

OPPD’s Thermostat Program uses thermostats owned by the customer to help manage energy demand. Participating customers can receive a one-time $75 bill credit incentive and annual $20 participation credit.

OPPD’s HVAC Smart program offers customer rebates when you purchase a high-efficiency air conditioner or heat pump.

No, you may have one or the other. You can contact OPPD’s Customer Service Department at customerservice@oppd.com or call 402-536-4131 to have the Cool Smart device removed.

No. There is no removal fee.

Please consider consulting with your landlord. Whoever pays the monthly OPPD bill can receive the one-time $75 credit and the annual $20 bill credit.

The agreement between OPPD and the smart thermostat manufacturers does not permit them to share data from individual homes or thermostats with OPPD. To be clear, OPPD is unable to obtain any information from the manufacturers related to a specific customer's thermostat run-times, set-points, home/away status, etc.

OPPD and the manufacturers only share specific customer details which are required to enroll the customer in the program and credit the customer’s account for participating. The data shared consists of: Thermostat(s) ID, number of thermostats, customer name, customer address (city, state, zip code) and email address.

Once the program enters the summer months (load control season), OPPD will receive aggregate (non-customer specific) reports from the smart thermostat manufacturers that provide information regarding participation statistics. Such statistics estimate the number of customers available to activate for load control and participation levels during the actual load control events.

Program manufacture partners and OPPD greatly value and respects their customer’s information.

OPPD is always evaluating market conditions and customer demands in an effort to continue to provide value to customers. If there is a particular thermostat manufacturer you would like to see added, please email customerservice@oppd.com.