Thermostats are just another household items that have been made smart over the last number of years. They have developed to the point that they can implement automatic usage plans, including those remotely set or sent by an energy company, in order to save money. A new study shows that more US households are interested in these functions.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/New-research-finds-nearly-30-of-US-high-speed-internet-households-would-buy-a-smart-thermostat.453085.0.html
I'm not from or in the US, but I avoid everything that is "smart", with the only exception being a smartphone and that's solely due to having no choice in the matter. I hope one day I can ditch smartphones too (and earlier than the time when I am too old to work).