Bakersfield Family Pays Entire Year’s Energy Bill With Earnings From OhmConnect

Michael Edgerle and his wife, Tiffany, never expected to earn major money when they clicked on a Facebook post about OhmConnect. Like most new users, they saw a link from someone they knew (in this case it was posted by their kids charter school) thought there was no harm in giving it a shot if there was a chance to earn a few dollars for saving energy, and connected their PG&E account.

Now, only three months into participation in #OhmHours, the Bakersfield couple has earned more than $1200 and are on their way to more than paying off their annual utility bill - simply for unplugging for an hour per week and telling their friends about their experience.

“When we hit $1000 in less than three months, I couldn’t believe it” Michael said. “We’ve made this amount of money from something we didn’t even know about a few weeks ago!”

Whaaaaa?! How’d they do it?

OhmConnect is a free service that rewards you for saving energy when it matters most to the grid and the environment. Users receive a notification about once per week to save energy for an hour. If you save energy, you receive cash.

The Edgerle’s explained that their earnings have been about a 50/50 split between payments for #OhmHours and credits for referring people they know to the program.

“We have a Nest smart thermostat and wifi plugs connected to our major appliances. The kids know that when there’s an OhmHour happening, the game console goes off. I tell them not to blame me, but to blame OhmConnect!” Michael said with a laugh. “They know what #OhmHours are all about and they think of it like a fun game.”

The Edgerle’s normally turn off their major appliances and their lights during #OhmHours but for MEGA #OhmHours, have been flipping their circuit breakers entirely - and it’s paid off.

“We are up to 24 successful #OhmHours in a row now so we’re getting bonuses for our streak and status. At first we were only earning a couple dollars but by being consistent, it’s really snowballed. I think that’s one thing that people don’t understand about how to earn a lot with this program - the consistency has been how we’re earning so much now.”

Sharing the love with their friends and neighbors

Once Michael and Tiffany realized how easy it was to earn money and do something good for the planet, they decided to share their experience with their network.

“I posted about our experience on Facebook and I was a bit disappointed - not many people had ‘liked’ or commented on the post,” Michael said with a laugh. “But when I woke up the next morning, four people had signed up using my referral link and I’d earned a quick $80!”

Since then, they have posted about OhmConnect on their Facebook page “maybe 4-5 times” and have seen 31 people sign up using their link, putting $600 towards their bills this year.

“OhmConnect has been a great new thing for us. I only wish we would have heard about it earlier!”

As OhmConnect users, Michael and Tiffany have a unique referral code that will score them $20 for anyone who signs up on their team. Want to give them a virtual high five to say thanks for sharing their story? Sign up on their team!