From the article: " [Brandon] English appears to have enrolled the thermostat, operated by the company EnergyHub, in a program known as “Smart Savers Texas,” KHOU 11 notes. The program, which customers have to opt-into, allows power companies to remotely adjust thermostats when energy demands are high in exchange for an entry into a sweepstakes. Other power companies have been known to offer customers reduced billing costs for entering similar programs. Upon realizing the details of the program, English says he immediately unenrolled: “I wouldn’t want anybody else controlling my things for me.” Read the EULA mother fucker! Some of the initial articles were failing to mention the "sweepstakes" and some people getting between $80 and $150 credit (depending on square footage of house) for opting into and were making it sound like ERCOT was hacking into thermostats which was NOT THE CASE.