Apparently, her smart thermostat was programmed to shut off the furnace when he wasn’t home.
My older sister has a smart thermostat in her home. When she had it installed over a year ago, it was all she could talk about. She was so excited about saving energy plus heating and cooling her big house more efficiently. At the time, I ignored her. However, last weekend, she asked me to house sit while she was away. As her younger sister, I obliged. After a few minutes of lounging around, I realized how cold it felt inside, I found the nearest air vent, and didn’t feel any air pushing through it. I assumed the thermostat was off, so I went in search of it. Now, normally, I wouldn’t change the thermostat settings in someone else’s home, however this was my sister and I knew she wanted me to be comfortable. When I located the thermostat, I tried to raise the temperature, however it wouldn’t let me. The smart thermostat was locked! I called her and asked her if she could unlock the thermostat so I wouldn’t freeze. Instead of unlocking it, she turned the heat back on. Apparently, her smart thermostat was programmed to shut off the furnace when he wasn’t home. It would turn back on 40 minutes before she was due to get home from work, but this way, she wasn’t heating an empty home. The concept sounded intriguing, however I honestly didn’t really like the hassle of having to alter the temperature through the smart phone. I wish I could’ve just turned the heat on myself, rather than asking permission like a little child.