Smart Thermostat - EnergyWise Home - Duke Energy (2024)

To participate in the EnergyWise Home smart thermostat option, you must have an eligible, qualified smart thermostat installed and connected to your home Wi-Fi. You must be a Duke Energy residential customer, have the electric service in your name and use electricity to heat and cool your home. Also, you must not be enrolled in the EnergyWise Home AC or strip heat switch device option.

When summer or winter temperatures are extreme, demand for electricity increases and can cause strain on the grid. The EnergyWise Home program is designed to help reduce energy use during times of high energy demand. This decreases the use of less efficient and more expensive energy sources. That's good for the environment, and it helps keep energy costs low for everyone.

Depending on your thermostat provider, notifications will appear on the thermostat or in your web/mobile thermostat application before an EnergyWise Home event occurs. At the start of an event, your thermostat will automatically adjust the temperature setting. Once the event is over, your thermostat will return to its original setting. Events may occur a few times each month and typically last two to three hours.

Typically, the energy usage on your bill remains the same since we are simply shifting your air conditioning or heating system’s usage to a different time of day. This reduces its runtime during peak demand periods and helps us reduce the use of less efficient and more expensive power sources needed to meet electricity demand. This also helps preserve natural resources, delay the need for more power plants and keep energy costs lower for everyone.

At the start of an EnergyWise Home event, your thermostat will be automatically adjusted by a few degrees – higher in the summer and, for customers participating in the winter option, lower in the winter. On some event days, your thermostat may be adjusted by a couple of degrees prior to the event start to pre-cool (summer) or pre-warm (winter) your home to make the temperature change during the event less noticeable.

Events typically last two to three hours.

During an event, you can opt out from your thermostat or your thermostat’s mobile or web apps.

Events may occur a few times per month during the months of May through September or December through March when electricity demand reaches peak levels. If the weather is mild, events may not occur at all.

Within two billing cycles of being successfully enrolled in the EnergyWise Home smart thermostat option, you will get a $75 bill credit. You will also receive a $25 bill credit following the anniversary of your enrollment each year that you remain on the program.

Yes! Renters can enroll in the program.

No. Participation is completely free.

Depending on your thermostat provider, notifications will appear on the thermostat or in your web/mobile application.

Your $75 credit will be included in your bill within two billing cycles of being accepted into the EnergyWise Home program. You will also receive a $25 bill credit following the anniversary of your enrollment each year that you remain on the program.

Send an email to support@energywisetstat.com requesting to end your participation in the EnergyWise Home smart thermostat option. Once you have been taken off the program, your thermostat(s) will no longer be controlled and you will not receive the annual participation incentive. For customers in zip codes 27516, 27517, and 27312 please contact 866.541.8886.

EnergyWise Home is designed for use on days when the demand for electricity reaches peak levels. During the summer, events may occur Monday through Friday, in the afternoon to early evening. For customers participating in the winter option, events may occur during the hours of 6 to 10 on weekday mornings or evenings. Except in the rare event of a system emergency, events will occur during the times mentioned above.

Demand is the amount of electricity needed at any given time. Power usage fluctuates hourly due to weather conditions, business hours of commercial and industrial companies, and residential electric usage. When this combined demand is at its highest, it’s called the peak.

The ecobee thermostat can only be enrolled in this program through the ecobee app. Follow this step-by-step guide to enroll your ecobee thermostat.