Placebo Thermostats
Never in a million years would we think that the OP was telling the truth, but after searching for the answer on Google, we’ve come to the conclusion that the OP is onto something here. They basically stated that dummy thermostats exist and that they’re more common than we think.
A dummy thermostat is a thermostat that’s installed in an apartment unit. They don’t actually dictate how hot your apartment is; all it does is it gives you the illusion that you’re making your dwelling hotter in the winter. In reality, apartment managers have one central thermostat, which they use to control the temperature in the entire building.