Get Rewarded for Energy Efficiency
Tl;dr: People in OhmConnect’s coverage area can receive a free smart plug and rewards for reducing their energy consumption.
Those summer electricity bills can get pretty expensive, and out here in California running the AC to combat the summer heat can result in blackouts. Against this backdrop, OhmConnect offers rewards to incentivize people to reduce their power usage during peak demand.
How does it work?
OhmConnect is a program available to eligible California customers with power from SCE, SDG&E, or PG&E; New York customers with Con Edison electric service; and customers in Texas.
The company explains it here, but basically they connect with the power company to monitor your power usage. Specifically, OhmConnect designates “OhmHours” when it anticipates demand to spike, notifies you via text and email of when you should reduce your power, and measures your power use compared to what is typical for you during that time, rewarding you for how much you reduce your power use. You receive “watts” which are redeemable for prizes.
OhmConnect will even send you a free smart plug to help you with power savings.
Is it worthwhile?
Absolutely! It’s harmless to sign up; you can get a free smart plug and the worst case scenario is that you don’t save any energy and earn any rewards (note, if you increase your power usage during an OhmHour you can earn negative Watts). And even though the rewards are nothing special, reducing your power usage will, of course, reduce your power bill, and that alone may be beneficial.
For reference, we have been using OhmConnect for almost exactly a year, and in that time we have earned 19,744 Watts. With our Gold Status from averaging a 15%+ energy reduction in our recent OhmHours, we can get $10 Starbucks or Amazon gift cards for 8,090 Watts. That’s $20+ in rewards to power your travels, plus reduced energy bills, plus a free smart plug, just for unplugging every now and then (we had 43 OhmHours last year, almost all of which were one hour long, although some were longer). And that’s without any real dedication. When those OhmHours have been inconvenient, sometimes we just leave the lights and TV on.
Conclusion
OhmConnect is a pretty cool way to save money on your electricity bill and earn bonus rewards in the process. If you’re in one of their coverage areas, consider using our referral link to sign up HERE.