re: rI don't think many of the reporters understand the topic well enough...
I think you have the problem reversed. WhatI understood was that they can't command it off, but the thermostat does turn it on and off to maintain the temperature. It only dissipates 15 watts, which should be around .5 amps, and that's only when the thermostat turns it on. I don't think that they think it's a big drain on the power system. If necessary they can live with it. At the end of the mission when they will need every amp it may come into play though. That's months away.