Smart thermostat aggregator rebrands, launches ‘whole-home’ virtual power plant

The company that runs one of the largest smart thermostat networks in the country, formerly called Renew Home, has renamed itself Everyday Electric and is expanding its program beyond thermostats. The company manages more than 8 million residential smart thermostats as part of what's called a virtual power plant, a setup where utilities tap into many homes' devices at once instead of building new power plants. It just bought a connected-car company, Smartcar, so it can plug electric vehicles into the same system, alongside home batteries and solar panels.

For homeowners, this mainly matters if you already have, or are thinking about getting, a smart thermostat, solar panels, a home battery, or an EV. The company's pitch is that linking these devices together through a utility program can earn you savings while also helping keep electricity costs down for everyone, because it reduces the need for utilities to build expensive new power plants. The CEO said the company aims to save customers a combined $5 billion over the next five years, though how much any individual household could get depends on what utility programs are available locally.

This is a corporate move, not a new rebate or incentive, so there's nothing to sign up for yet. But it points to a broader trend: utilities and companies increasingly want to combine thermostats, EVs, batteries, and solar into one coordinated system rather than running separate programs for each device. If you already participate in a demand-response or thermostat program through your utility, it's worth watching whether that program evolves to include your other devices.