Participants in the WattSaver program receive a free programmable Honeywell UtilityPRO thermostat. Because the WattSaver thermostat is both programmable and accurate than conventional thermostats, participants can save up to 20% on their annual heating and cooling costs, said the company.
Participants also become part of the solution to help balance the demand with the supply of electricity in Kansas.
The company said that on the hottest weekday afternoons from June through September, when demands on Westar Energy’s system are the highest, the utility can call on these thermostats to reduce energy demand.
If a participant decides to no longer participate in the WattSaver program, Westar Energy will reinstall the participant’s original thermostat at no cost to the participant. By reducing the demand for electricity, WattSaver participants would help Westar Energy avoid buying expensive power on the wholesale market and help delay the need to build new power plants.
The WattSaver operations will be based in Wichita. The program initially will focus on gaining participation in the Wichita area and then will be available to customers throughout the Westar Energy service territory.
Westar Energy aims to install 90,000 thermostats by 2016. This will provide about 90MW of demand reduction, which would avoid the need to construct a small peaking power plant.
