How Much Can I Make With OhmConnect?

Ok, it’s total honesty time.

When I first started as a member of the OhmConnect community, I hardly earned any money at all. 

Seriously, I think it was less than the amount required to buy a few sour gummies at the corner store every #OhmHour.

I loved the idea of being part of something that was doing good things for the electricity grid as a collective, but I couldn’t figure out how it could be truly profitable for me, unless I started going door-to-door getting others signed up using my referral link (which I’m far too antisocial to try.)

But I gotta say, I’m SO thankful I stuck it out and learned the tricks that really work. I can now proudly tell my neighbors that there are more tangible benefits to being a part of the program than simply the good vibes that come from doing a good deed.

While I started out making about 20-30 cents per #OhmHour, I’m now six months in, at a 35-event streak with Platinum status, making between $2 and $6 every #OhmHour (and this isn’t including MEGA #OhmHours!) Not bad coin just to go for a walk or run some errands out of the house once per week.

And I’m someone with a super low baseline! I live in a small apartment that’s already energy efficient so my results are on the low end of the spectrum.

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How to earn major points, even with a low forecast

How’d I do it?

Streaks and status tiers, my friend.

‍Streaks:

Your streak measures the number of consecutive #OhmHours in which you beat your forecast.

A few things to keep in mind:

• You earn an additional 5% bonus for each successful #OhmHour you achieve in a row
• The increased streak bonus gets applied to your next #OhmHour… so you will receive a 5% bonus on your second #OhmHour once your streak is 2, 10% when it reaches 3, etc.
• If you opt out of an #OhmHour, you will break your streak
• If you get zero or negative points, you will break your streak
• There is a streak shield card in the Token Marketplace which will allow you to maintain your streak if it is broken... great reason to earn tokens on every #OhmHour!

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Status tiers:

Every OhmConnect user has a Status Level, ranging from Carbon to Diamond. Your Status is determined by how much you reduce during #OhmHours. The more you save, the more you earn! 

While you might think you’re all good if your status level is Silver (where the majority of users are), the really magic happens when you can reach Gold or Platinum status … and it’s not as hard as it sounds!

Status is calculated by how much you’ve reduced in your previous 5 #OhmHours. 

Gold: If you’ve saved an average of 15%, you'll upgrade to Gold Status and earn 6x points for your #OhmHours when you beat your forecast.

Platinum: If you save an average of 40%, you’ll earn 10x points in #OhmHours!

Diamond: If you save an average of 80%, you’ll earn 12x points in #OhmHours! That’s a lot of bonus points!

Heads up: with Gold, Platinum, and Diamond status, if you don’t beat your forecast, you’ll lose points at the new 6x, 10x, and 12x rate.

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A tale of two energy-savers:

To get a clear picture of the impact that streaks can have on your #OhmHour earnings, check out the following example.

• Chayenne is an OhmConnect user from Fremont, California who participates in #OhmHours with her husband and three children.
• She’s been an OhmConnect user since July 2017 (so around 10 months, at the time this blog was written), and
• she has an average energy baseline of 0.5 kWh during the day and 1.5kWh in the evening.

By looking at her energy usage over time and the amount of money she’s earned (and yes, we asked her permission before sharing her story!), we are able to compare the amount she would have earned on her #OhmHours alone to the amount she has earned in real life, including her streak bonuses.

Her energy saving during #OhmHours, if she had not been consistent and maintained a streak and a good status level was $83.71. Because she committed to #OhmHours and reduced a good amount each time, she brought home $322 in less than a year.

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Chayenne’s tips for earning maximum points during #OhmHours:

1. Get a buddy! Saving energy with a buddy is the easiest way to earn extra points, without needing to go out of your way.
2. Schedule your #OhmHours to happen during times when you normally use a lot of energy (dinner time is the usual suspect!), so your baseline is high.
3. Maintain a streak to earn bonus points on every #OhmHour. This means always beating your baseline, even if just by a little.
4. During the #OhmHour, flip your circuit breakers to ensure no secret energy vampires are using power without you knowing.

And there you have it! Now you know the tricks, it’s time for you to start earning big points. Got tips for other #OhmHour beginners? Share them with us on Twitter!