MEGA Summer Prize Winner Qualified Automatically With a Smart Thermostat

For Katerra D. from Victorville, CA, OhmHours are a family affair. 

“It’s like a game for us - we run around the house and the kids practically race to see who can turn off the most lights or unplug all the things we don’t need plugged in.” 

One thing she doesn’t need to worry about? Her home’s heating and cooling system since her Honeywell smart thermostat is connected to OhmConnect and gets powered down automatically every time there’s an energy-saving event. 

That savvy move on her part has meant she’s got an OhmConnect status of Gold, her energy bills have lowered and perhaps the best part - it scored her a MEGA Summer Prize of a home entertainment system, which she exchanged for the cash equivalent of $3900. 

OhmHours are family affair

With six people under one roof, OhmHours are a real team effort for Katerra and her clan. When they signed up a few years ago, she and her husband told the kids that if they committed to saving energy together, they’d put the money they earned towards a trip to Six Flags. 

Now, every time an OhmHour is dispatched to their five-bedroom, 2800 square foot home, they’ll unplug everything they possibly can and then make the hour into a game night or go out for a walk with the dogs. 

“My biggest tip to anyone just starting out with OhmConnect would be to try and make a game out of it,” she shared. “Get the whole family involved. We find we’re more motivated to save energy when we know the money will go towards something we’ll enjoy. We’ll put the money towards funding fun time for us.”

Smart home technology for the win 

By connecting her smart thermostat to OhmConnect, Katerra not only earned a qualification into our weekly MEGA Summer prize draw, but she also:

• Automatically participates in #OhmHours without lifting a finger when her family isn’t home. By connecting her thermostat to OhmConnect, she ensures her streak and status are maintained as her HVAC is automatically powered off and back on during energy saving events.
  

• Participates in mini-events, AutoOhms, without even realizing that they’re happening! Connected smart devices get you access to our new shorter, simpler energy-saving events called AutoOhms. You can earn a flat rate for every plug and thermostat that turns off. The more you connect, the more you’ll earn!
  

• Earns more money than ever before. OhmConnect customers with smart thermostats connected to OhmConnect earn on average ~3x as many points during #OhmHours as those without.

Her big win 

“Honestly I didn’t believe it when I saw the email that I’d won,” she said on a phone call this week. “I’d had a super busy week at work and when I finally caught up on my email I saw this note and thought ‘Wait, really?!’ I had to show the video to my husband for him to finally believe it was not a scam.” 

Opting for the cash prize instead of the home entertainment system, Katerra says the money will likely go towards a car since her four teenage children are all learning to drive. 

“OhmHours have always been a team effort for us so it only feels fair that we would put the prize towards something for our family.” 

Congratulations to you all and nice job saving energy!