HB427: Ohio’s Latest Assault on God-Given Property Rights

Ohio’s House Bill 427 promises to “modernize” the state’s energy regulations by empowering utility companies to remotely tweak your home’s thermostat, and even cycle your water heater, during so-called “high demand” periods. Framed as a voluntary program with incentives like small annual payments or per-event fees, this legislation opens the door to a future where Big Government and its corporate cronies decide how warm or cool you keep your castle.

Don’t be fooled by the “opt-in” label. What starts as a nudge today could become a shove tomorrow, especially as energy demands grow under misguided green agendas that prioritize windmills over reliable power plants. This isn’t just about saving a few bucks on your electric bill, it’s a blatant example of government overreach that chips away at the sacred principle of private property, a right bestowed not by Columbus or Washington, but by our Creator Himself.

The Devil in the Details: How HB 427 Invites Control

At its core, HB 427 would authorize the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) to greenlight “demand response programs” for residential customers and small businesses, thus expanding tools already used by big factories. Under these schemes, if you sign up for the so-called perks, utilities like AEP Ohio could hike your air conditioning setpoint on a sweltering summer day or dial down your heat during a polar vortex, all without knocking on your door.

Proponents, including the author of the bill, State Rep. Roy Klopfenstein, tout this as a win for grid reliability and lower costs, arguing it “eases the strain” on Ohio’s aging infrastructure. But let’s call it what it is: a Trojan horse for centralized control.

We’ve seen this playbook before: in California, where similar programs left families sweating through heat waves for chump-change rebates, or in Colorado and Indiana, where utility overrides turned homes into saunas during emergencies. And in Lakewood, Ohio, where power outages are already a punchline, residents aren’t cheering; they’re rolling their eyes at yet another layer of meddling that won’t fix the real problem: underinvestment in traditional energy sources.

This bill doesn’t build more power plants or incentivize nuclear innovation; it punts the issue to your thermostat. It’s the kind of “efficiency” that conservatives have long warned against, a band-aid on a self-inflicted wound from overregulation and the rush to renewables that can’t deliver when the sun sets or the wind dies.

Violating Our God-Given Right to Property

At its root, this bill assaults the cornerstone of American liberty: the right to property. Our Founding Fathers didn’t mince words, the Declaration of Independence speaks of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” but it was John Locke, whose ideas they enshrined, who grounded these in the biblical truth that God entrusts us with dominion over His creation (Genesis 1:28).

Our property isn’t a government-granted privilege; it’s a divine endowment, a bulwark against tyranny. Your home, thermostat and all, is an extension of that sacred trust.

For the state to authorize corporate proxies to override your choices is to treat you as a tenant in your own dwelling, not its steward. As the prophet Micah reminds us, “Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid” (Micah 4:4). Yet HB 427 invites fear: the fear of an unexpected spike in temperature on a 95-degree day, or a cold shower when you need it most.

This isn’t stewardship; it’s subjugation. Conservatives understand that true property rights foster responsibility and innovation, build your own solar panels if you like, but don’t force your neighbor into a one-size-fits-all grid nanny. By undermining these rights, the bill doesn’t just overreach; it profanes the God-ordained order that undergirds free markets and flourishing communities.

Thank you for your support.

If you appreciate the work we do to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, please consider giving a gift to help us continue this work. Maranatha!