U.K. government could remotely disable home heating or cooling
British energy suppliers will soon be able to remotely restrict household heat pump temperatures during winter cold snaps.
Article by Rebel News staff.
The Daily Telegraph is reporting that by the end of next year, British energy suppliers will be able to remotely turn down household heat pumps to help manage grid demand during winter cold snaps. Ezra Levant walked through what giving the government that ability means on Monday's episode of The Ezra Levant Show, warning viewers where net-zero policy is actually headed.
Heat pumps, Ezra explained, are not furnaces. They move heat rather than generate it, which makes them energy-efficient in mild climates. But when temperatures drop below -20°C, they become effectively useless, something even the Weather Network has acknowledged.
An advertisement for heat pumps from BC Hydro came across more like a piece of Liberal Party propaganda rather than displaying a product, Ezra said.
"There's a reason governments have to pay people thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars to take one," he said. "I've never heard of a popular product in history that needed a subsidy to sell."
The United Kingdom's problem is now more acute than just product performance, however. Under a scheme being developed by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero — Ezra noted the irony of that name — licensed energy suppliers including Octopus Energy and British Gas will be able to remotely restrict heat pumps via internet connection during periods of peak demand.
Over 223,000 heat pumps are already installed in British homes, and all installations since April 2025 must be internet-connected. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has set a target of 450,000 installations per year by 2030.
"They won't just have the ability to turn off the heat to your home," Ezra cautioned. "They could turn off your car if it's electric."
Giving the government this ability is akin to a Chinese Communist Party-style social credit system — only by another name. "Do you think Ed Miliband would ever have his car turned off? Or just the little people?"
In the European Union, a Politico headline details how EU Commission headquarters was forced to shut down air conditioning amid a heatwave.
Reading further, Ezra found that only floors one through seven lost cooling — while Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the 13th floor and her commissioners on floors eight and above kept full air conditioning throughout.
"The important people had air conditioning," he said. "They literally made the junior staff sweat it out in the heatwave."
The story Ezra found most alarming came from Germany, where a recently built cardiac unit at Düsseldorf University Hospital was reportedly measuring 38°C inside during heart surgeries. Relatives were being asked to bring ice packs from home and staff were using cooling vests.
"This is not about saving the world," Ezra said. "While China opens two or three coal-fired power plants a week, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the U.K. won't stop anything. It's about money. And if you haven't picked up on it yet, it's about control."
"Trump always tells the Europeans to get control of their energy and their immigration," he said. "They refuse to. And I think some of it might even be to spite him. So what's our excuse up here?"
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Ezra Levant
Rebel Commander
Ezra Levant is the founder and owner of Rebel News and the host of The Ezra Levant Show. He is the author of multiple best-selling books, including Ethical Oil, The Libranos, China Virus, and most recently, Trudeau's Secret Plan.
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