No, asking people to voluntarily limit their energy consumption is not communism

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s call for New Yorkers to conserve power during a recent heat wave brought out attacks by Republicans. Her suggestion – she said she was “asking” people to “voluntarily” reduce their energy consumption – prompted national Republicans to call her a communist.

“New York’s electric grid is under heavy strain as this heat wave drives up energy demand,” Hochul tweeted on July 2. “We’re asking New Yorkers to voluntarily conserve power by setting your A/C between 75–78°, avoiding unnecessary appliance use, and turning off lights and electronics when they’re not needed.”

The Republican National Committee re-posted her tweet the next day with this claim: “New York Democrat communists are now trying to force Americans to lower their quality of life because of their failed policies.”

The success of two candidates backed by democratic socialist groups in last month’s New York primary led the GOP to portray these candidates as extremists out of step with most New Yorkers.

They directed their verbal attacks to other politicians, like Hochul, who appears to have a cordial working relationship with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialists of America member.

We wanted to know if Hochul’s call to voluntarily conserve energy had the hallmarks of communism.

We reached out to the RNC for evidence, and a spokeswoman told us that Hochul and other New York Democrats are taking control away from New Yorkers and putting it in the government’s hands.

“Communism is achieved by taking away individual choice and private ownership, and that’s precisely what Kathy Hochul is doing,” said Kristen Cianci, RNC northeast regional communications director.

But Hochul asked “New Yorkers to voluntarily conserve power.” Experts told us that’s not what happens in communist regimes.

“In general, communist governments would often use more forceful methods to achieve compliance with government priorities than asking politely,” said Brian D. Taylor, a professor of political science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship & Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

In the Soviet Union, utilities were state-owned and controlled, and in urban areas, apartments were allocated by the state, not privately owned, Taylor said. Individuals did not have control over their own thermostat.

Generally, in communist countries, there is only one political party, and it controls all levels of government. Their economies were based on state ownership and control of property, and state-directed production, he said.

“Not to belabor the point, but none of that is happening in New York City, New York state, or anywhere else in the U.S.,” he said.

In a communist system, utilities would be government owned, and energy would be rationed, said Matthew Lenoe, a professor of history at the University of Rochester. There would be no choice in the matter for the people.

“They would introduce rolling blackouts,” Lenoe said. “That’s how a communist government would have handled it.”

The New York grid, by contrast, is a combination of public and private ownership. And Hochul did not say the government would turn off the air conditioning.

“This is a voluntary call for cooperation,” Lenoe said.

Hochul’s recommendation is consistent with other recommendations from governments at all levels and public utility commissions. The U.S. Department of Energy has also recommended people keep their thermostats at 78 degrees in warm weather when they are home, though web pages with these recommendations have been taken down. It’s not clear when or why that happened, and the department did not reply to our requests for more information.

In 2019, during President Trump’s first term, the department stressed that the 78-degree guideline was just a recommendation, and that Americans should set their thermostats to “whatever temperature they choose.”

We found other instances of GOP-led governments asking residents to conserve power, such as in Mississippi, where the Department of Environmental Quality tells residents to “Set your thermostat as high as your comfort allows (78 degrees is recommended.)” In Texas in August 2015, Gov. Greg Abbott advised residents to power down electronics in the afternoon, in order to reduce pressure on the electric grid.

During an extreme cold spell in February in South Carolina, Republican Gov. Henry McMaster told residents to “reduce the household thermostat to the lowest comfortable setting,” in an effort to reduce pressure on the state’s electric grid. He also said people should stay warm by wearing more clothing and using blankets, and to avoid running some large appliances.

In August 2003, when New York was suffering from blackouts in areas across the state, the most recent Republican governor, George Pataki, told CNN viewers that they should conserve power.

Pataki said that if New Yorkers don’t have power, they should “continue to help each other out, and if you do have power, to conserve energy. It will help us to restore power to the areas that don’t have it that much quicker.” He later said: “If you get power back, conserve energy. That’s the mantra of today.”

Our ruling

National Republicans said that Hochul and New York Democrats were “communists” who were “trying to force” people to lower their quality of life after the Democrats asked people to voluntarily reduce their energy consumption.

Academic researchers who study communist governments told us that asking residents to voluntarily turn up their thermostats during hot weather in order to reduce pressure on the electric grid is not what happens in communist countries.

Furthermore, reducing power consumption during extreme temperatures is a longstanding recommendation from energy commissions and governments around the United States, including the U.S. Department of Energy.

This statement is not accurate and makes an absurd claim. We rate it Pants on Fire!