OhmConnect members are rewarded with Watts to spend in the OhmConnect Rewards Marketplace for reducing their energy consumption during energy-saving events, either with or without smart devices. Let’s take a peek underneath the hood to see how this is all possible.
OhmConnect members are called on to reduce their energy usage during energy-saving events, including when the electric grid is stressed. When you decrease your energy consumption below your average energy usage (typically calculated using the previous 10 days in the same time period), OhmConnect will reward you with points called Watts. Watts can be spent in the OhmConnect Rewards Marketplace.
There are many ways to save energy during energy-saving events, both actively and passively. An active way to save energy is to go around your home and manually turn off any appliances that are currently on during an energy-saving event. Another example of how to actively save energy is to delay doing energy-intensive chores such as doing the laundry or running the dishwasher until after the event. An even easier way to save energy is passively, by using connected devices such as smart plugs or a smart thermostat. You can set these connected devices to automatically power down and back up for energy saving events so you don’t have to do it manually.
There are two types of energy-saving events: OhmHours and AutoOhms. OhmHours are typically one hour long (although they can last as long as four hours during special events) and you typically are notified one day before. AutoOhms are shorter - often just 15 minutes long - and you will receive less advance notice. Only OhmConnect members with connected smart devices are eligible for AutoOhms because of the short advance notice provided for these events.
You will have several energy-saving events throughout each month, usually between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m on weekdays. During an event, any smart devices you’ve linked to OhmConnect will automatically power down to save energy (and you may not even notice). At the end of the event, the smart devices will automatically power back up, returning whatever is plugged into it to its pre-event state. If an appliance was “on” at the start of the event, it will turn back “on;” if the appliance was off already, it will stay off.
You don’t have to participate in every energy-saving event. We understand that there will be occasions when you want to skip an event, such as if you’re having guests over for dinner. That’s OK. You can opt out of any event; you just won’t earn rewards for that event. Before an upcoming OhmHour, you can visit the dashboard in your OhmConnect account, and simply click the opt-out button to remove yourself from that specific event. Your linked smart devices will not power down and you won’t lose any Watts for not saving energy during that event.
Yes, you should leave your smart plugs ON all the time. We know it sounds counterintuitive, but they use very little power and it is how we are able to automatically turn your appliance off and on in order to earn Watts for your connected smart device. When you set up your smart plug, turn it on and leave it on. Set it and forget it. You shouldn’t have to touch them to participate in an energy-saving event.For a smart thermostat to earn Watts, it needs to be ON before the event, and CANNOT be in an ”eco mode.” You should not manually turn your smart thermostat to eco mode prior to an event or it will not count. OhmConnect must toggle the smart thermostat into and out of eco mode for you to receive credit for the event.
You earn Watts by saving energy as compared to your average energy use, typically from the previous 10 days in the same time. We built a visualization into your Energy Events page so you can easily see your 10-day average and how much you were able to reduce. For example, if your average usage over the past 10 days is 0.800 kWh and you used only 0.300 kWh during this event, then you will have earned 500 Watts.
Now the fun part! You get bonus Device Watts just for using connected smart devices. They will automatically be added to the Watts you saved and your Total Watts will reflect both of those numbers.
When you’ve allowed OhmConnect to successfully automate your connected devices, you can earn bonus Device Watts. Smart plugs will earn 40 Watts per hour and smart thermostats will earn 320 Watts per hour. These will be added to your total Energy Watts earned for a particular event. Here is a full breakdown:
Your status is indicative of your average energy savings over your last five OhmHour events. There are four status levels: Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond. Each is associated with an average reduction percentage.
Your status will also contribute toward discounts for which you are eligible in the Rewards Marketplace. The higher your status the more your Watts are worth when you use them to redeem for smart devices, gift cards and cash. Here are the discounts available at each status level:
The OhmConnect Rewards Marketplace is where you redeem your Watts for prize entries, Wheel spins, new devices, gift cards and cash. If you choose the cash option, your payment will be delivered to your PayPal account.
