# How Your Nest Thermostat Participates in Energy-Saving Events > Having a Nest Thermostat is a great step towards saving energy and earnings more rewards Here are the ways your Nest takes part in energysaving events When Source: https://ohmconnect.kustomer.help/help/how-your-nest-thermostat-participates-in-energy-saving-events-BkUTCwhBlg Last updated: 2026-03-24T22:12:19.804Z ## Having a Nest Thermostat is a great step towards saving energy and earning more rewards! When you sign up for [Google's Rush Hour Rewards program](https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9232355?hl=en) and then join OhmConnect, your Nest thermostat may be eligible to participate in OhmConnect energy-saving events. These events help reduce demand on the energy grid and give you the opportunity to earn Bonus Watts. ## How to Link Your Nest Thermostat If you are enrolled in Google's Rush Hour Rewards program, you will see the option to link your Nest thermostat in the Devices List.  ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5e711cd73683d2001204fe31/4b3d80744c1865d6a8f00a09f658de05.png) Simply click the Link button and complete the steps to link your device to your OhmConnect account. Your Nest thermostat will participate in OhmHours and AutoOhms during the season you are eligible for.  ## How It Works Your Nest thermostat’s participation settings for OhmConnect are determined by your Rush Hour Rewards program enrollment. Depending on whether your home uses air conditioning, electric heat, or a heat pump, you may be enrolled in either the Summer Rush Hour Rewards program, Winter Rush Hour Rewards program, or both.  * The summer season runs from March 1 to October 31. * The winter season runs from November 1 to February 28 If the opt-in box for an event isn't checked, that means you aren't currently enrolled in the active Rush Hour Rewards season. ![](https://cdn.kustomerhostedcontent.com/media/5e711cd73683d2001204fe31/cf8a76cde87b600da25998903ea2d228.png) **Note:** These settings are automatically managed through your [Rush Hour Rewards](https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9749812?hl=en&ref_topic=11451913&sjid=4268240581538156388-NC) program and can’t be adjusted in the OhmConnect dashboard. As a result, you cannot adjust which events or what season your Nest participates in OhmConnect since those settings are determined by your Rush Hour Rewards enrollment. To better understand how Rush Hour Rewards works, including details about seasonal programs and how your thermostat participates, you can learn more [here](https://support.renewhome.com/help/learn-about-rush-hour-rewards-ry5GZAjdxx). To earn Bonus Watts during AutoOhms and OhmHour events, your Nest thermostat must be enrolled in Rush Hour Rewards and in the On state, either in HEAT mode (if you are enrolled in Winter Rush Hour Rewards) or COOL mode (if you are enrolled in Summer Rush Hour Rewards). When an energy-saving event occurs, your Nest will automatically adjust the temperature by up to 4 degrees to help save energy. You will earn Bonus Watts when your thermostat remains in this adjusted state for the duration of the event. If you’d prefer not to participate, you can simply adjust the temperature on your thermostat. Just keep in mind that changing the temperature and skipping the event means you won’t earn the bonus Watts. ## What You'll See During the event, your Nest thermostat will display ‘Rush Hour’ or 'Shifting' on the screen. This indicates that your Nest thermostat is currently in an energy-saving event. If you see either of these messages, your device is actively participating in the event!  ## After the Event When the event ends, your Nest thermostat will automatically return to its previous set temperature. No action is needed from you.  ## Need Help? If you are not seeing 'Rush Hour' or 'Shifting' on your thermostat during events, or you’re unsure if your thermostat is participating, make sure:  * You are signed up for [Rush Hour Rewards](https://support.renewhome.com/help/learn-about-rush-hour-rewards-ry5GZAjdxx) through your Nest or Google Home app * Your thermostat is in Heat mode (for Winter Rush Hour Rewards participants) or Cool mode (for Summer Rush Hour Rewards participants) * Your device is connected to Wi-Fi and can be controlled through the Nest or Google Home app ## How to Opt Your Nest Thermostat Out of an Energy Saving Event Your Rush Hour Rewards settings control your event preferences so you can't manually opt out prior to an OhmHour or AutoOhm event for your Nest thermostat. If you’re ever uncomfortable during the event, simply change the temperature on your thermostat to stop participating in the Rush Hour event. You’ll stay enrolled in Rush Hour Rewards, and your thermostat will participate in the next Rush Hour event. **Note:** If your Nest thermostat did not automate for an event, you will not earn Bonus Watts for your device.  When you’ve successfully opted out of an event, the Nest Leaf is removed from your Nest thermostat’s display and the app. ## Frequently Asked Questions * Why is my Nest no longer participating? As of October 2025, only users who have also enrolled their Nest thermostat in [Google’s Rush Hour Rewards](https://support.renewhome.com/help/learn-about-rush-hour-rewards-ry5GZAjdxx) program will participate in OhmHours and AutoOhms. You can still save energy by setting your AC to a higher temperature or turning it off entirely when an event happens! * I live in Texas. Can my Nest participate? No, unfortunately, your Nest will not participate in OhmHours or AutoOhms because Google’s Rush Hour Rewards program is not available in Texas for OhmConnect users. * Why doesn’t my Nest participate year-round? If you’re enrolled in the Summer Rush Hour Rewards program, your Nest will only participate in energy-saving events during the summer months. If you’re enrolled in the Winter Rush Hour Rewards program, your Nest will only participate in energy-saving events during the winter months. **Note:** You can check which program(s) you are enrolled in [here](https://support.renewhome.com/help/sign-up-for-rush-hour-rewards-and-manage-participation-HyF0MRoueg#:~:text=Nest%2520thermostat.-,Home%2520app,Tap%2520on%2520your%2520energy%2520provider%2520to%2520learn%2520more%2520and%2520sign%2520up.,-Stop%2520a%2520Rush). * My Nest isn’t participating, but I’m enrolled in Google’s Rush Hour Rewards program. Why? Your Nest must be migrated to the Google Home app. You can follow the steps [here](https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9297676#migrate-nest-account) to migrate your Nest or find out more [here](https://www.ohmconnect.com/help/how-to-migrate-your-nest-account-to-a-google-account-SJPPbG8LO). * You can read Google's Rush Hour Rewards terms [here](https://support.google.com/product-documentation/answer/11335402?hl=en&ref_topic=10409779&sjid=18082491590487495786-NA). For additional details or troubleshooting, visit Google’s official [Rush Hour Rewards support page](https://support.google.com/googlenest/answer/9244031?sjid=1586435555473262155-NC).