Did you take advantage of the free smart thermostats being offered by the government as part of the Green Energy Fund?
It was a program being offered by the former Liberal government, and it allowed homeowners to apply, receive and have a smart thermostat installed.
But it would seem, some of those thermostats, may have been improperly installed.
Some how have had the NEST thermostats installed, may be finding their new toy is failing them, just as the cold weather hits.
The problems aren't totally widespread, but HVAC installers have suggested they are seeing faults, in the installation of the Green ON Nests.
The way the thermostat works is it scavenges power from your furnace wires, to stay working. When the weather turns cold, the furnace needs all of the power it has, just to heat your home.
So that leaves little to power the NEST.
When the battery in the thermostat finally drains, your furnace will no longer turn on, until it has a chance to charge back up. That could take hours.
"It should be wired so that it's not stealing power from a battery, they are being powered by the circuitboard on the furnace." says Dick Thomas from Atlas Care, an HVAC company in Oakville.
In many cases, the fix requires a sevice call, which could cost hundreds of dollars.
We reached out to the provincial Environment Minister, and received a statement from a spokesperson:
"Our government made a clear commitment to the people of Ontario to cancel the ineffective cap and trade program, which included the orderly and transparent wind down of all associated programs, including the thermostat program, which were costing taxpayers millions of dollars.
This program was poorly designed, hastily implemented and poorly executed by the previous Liberal Government as desperate attempt to garner support in the lead up to the election.
The Liberals gave little consideration to consumers, and did not thoroughly consult industry in regards to expectations, qualities or deadlines of this runaway program.
IESO works closely with installation contractors to resolve complaints and ensure that thermostats are working properly.
If you've having a problem with your thermostat please contact program support at 1-888-728-8444 and they'll work to make it right."