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Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Ask a Mustachian => Topic started by: nexus on September 01, 2016, 12:41:50 PM

Title: Get Paid To Reduce Your Energy Consumption!
Post by: nexus on September 01, 2016, 12:41:50 PM
This may only be available to California residents, but I have been using it for over a year now and it has been great. There's an organization called Ohm Connect that pays you to reduce your electricity consumption. I've already earned enough to cover two of my PG&E bills over the last 12 months.

The general concept: They pay you to reduce your energy consumption during peak hours, which keeps the utility companies from using "dirty" energy to feed the grid. You save money via wasting less electricity and they pay you for doing it. Double win!

A lot of times the hours hit between 3pm and 4pm, so I'm at work and literally have to do nothing in order to earn some spare change.

You can see via my attached screenshot that I've earned $4.95 since the last time I cashed out.

Here's their FAQ page
https://www.ohmconnect.com/wiki/getting-started


Here's a referral link. If you sign up and participate, we both get $20 credit (I think)!
http://ohm.co/8ade4f 

Is anyone else currently using this?

**note: each point is worth 1 cent.
Title: Re: Get Paid To Reduce Your Energy Consumption!
Post by: Nemesis. on September 01, 2016, 05:47:32 PM
We'll have something like that in Houston but it might work a little differently.
They send out and email asking you to reduce your usage during a peak power event and you get credit if you do.
The problem is it's a reduction from what you typically use which for me is pretty low to begin with.
It's not easy for me to reduce it even more when I'm already at a minimum.
The irony of course is I would get paid to reduce it if I generally used more. :P
Title: Re: Get Paid To Reduce Your Energy Consumption!
Post by: sisto on September 01, 2016, 06:05:44 PM
Does it work for other electricity providers or just PG&E? I live in CA, but don't have PG&E. TIA
Title: Re: Get Paid To Reduce Your Energy Consumption!
Post by: nexus on September 02, 2016, 09:42:21 AM
Straight from their FAQ page:

Am I eligible? OhmConnect currently works with three California electricity providers: Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, and San Diego Gas and Electric. You must have an online account with these providers in order to sign up.
Title: Re: Get Paid To Reduce Your Energy Consumption!
Post by: xdan on September 02, 2016, 11:30:10 AM
I've been using ohmconnect for about 6 months now.
Seems to be paying me back a little more than the "reduce your use" days I've done in previous years.
I find it is easier to cut power use for a targeted hour or two instead of the entire day.
They recently started to get advance notice for most days, so that is better when I can plan ahead instead of getting an alert out of the blue (which would invariably come right after I started a cycle with a major appliance like the washer)

I'm averaging somewhere between 50 cents and a $1.50 earned per event (depending on how much I'm able to reduce below their forecast) and there is no penalty if you go over (you just don't earn a credit for that one is all)

Here's my referral link ($20 to each of us if you sign up with SDG&E/PG&E and $40 if you are SoCal Edison)
http://ohm.co/706a3e

Dan
Title: Re: Get Paid To Reduce Your Energy Consumption!
Post by: MsPeacock on September 03, 2016, 02:52:33 PM
There is a similar program here with Pepco on peak useage days. As with PP, I turn off almost everything when I leave for the day anyhow. I can't really use less energy than the almost none and thus, although enrolled in the program, never get the rebate/credit for reduced useage.
Title: Re: Get Paid To Reduce Your Energy Consumption!
Post by: MoonLiteNite on September 03, 2016, 02:58:18 PM
In Austin, TX, they have this plan where they put a special thermostat in your house. And you get an 80$ credit. But for the next year they can control your thermostat by +/-4 degrees.
Seems great in theory, but now everyone is signing up, and in the summer rather then staying at 76-80, everyone is turning their shit down to 70f....

government fail hahaha
Title: Re: Get Paid To Reduce Your Energy Consumption!
Post by: RedwoodDreams on September 21, 2016, 07:44:55 PM
Thanks. I signed up using the first referral link above and the payments are starting to accumulate in my account.

Here's my referral link:

http://ohm.co/1140a8