OhmConnect is program that pays you to reduce electricity during high usage times. It’s only available in TX,CA, and Toronto right now.
They have a $20 signup bonus if you use a referral link.
I’d obviously prefer if you use mine, but there are other links available online.
OhmConnect connects directly through your utility company and they give you cash bonuses when you reduce consumption. I’ve personally had several times when I was paid $20+ per hour to turn off my AC. Worth it. They pay a higher market value than the electricity itself.
I’ve been using it and every Ohm Hour they have been deducting money from my account. Kind of annoying. I don’t have AC or any big users of energy so there’s not all that much I can cut out.
Also, I think the referral link only gives $20 to the referrer, not the person signing up.
I read in the FAQ that you have 15 minutes after receiving the notification to opt-out from the Ohm Hour. If you don’t opt out and don’t reduce your consumption for that hour, they reduce any credits you may have earned in the past.
I checked out the forum on their website and people are literally sitting in their dark homes using headlamps to see their phones/devices in order to do work or read. Crazy. Others are wrapped up in blankets because they are cold.
I’ve been doing OhmConnect since early August. I’ve had one referral that I earned $20 for. I cashed out my earning last week for about $115. Not bad for 6 weeks.
My situation my be a little unique. I have a 12kWh solar system and use it to charge two EVs during the day (work from home). When an OhmHour is called, I just unplug the cars and cut all usage as much as possible.
The rewards for each OhmHour vary considerably. I’ve seen 25 pts for each kWh saved (that’s $0.25) all the way up to 300 pts for each kWh ($3.00). Those 300 point OhmHours are GOLDEN!
Pretty sure “solar system” measurements refer to generating capability measured in kW. Battery storage capacity is measured in kWh.
Coudn’t you just unplug the power line and have your EVs supply all the power you need during the OhmHour? You’d earn more if they pay more per kWh than it costs you.
You cannot have the EVs power back to the house. Thought of that, just doesn’t work that way (firmware has things locked to prevent hacks like that).
Plus, if your baseline is negative (i.e. your typically feed into the grid during those hours), you need to stay connected to feed MORE into the grid to meet the goal.
I have monitoring on the house, the usage if I turn off the TV, AC, and the fridge for the 1 hour during an OhmHour is very very low. About 300-400 watts. Given the feed-in from the PV, that’s negligible.
Given the way solar systems are wired, you cannot bypass how you described, it won’t pass inspection and the installers won’t do that. You can do that if you have a battery system installed, but not without one.
This article basically explains their monetary system. Essentially, power companies pay them to get users to reduce usage, so the power companies don’t have to turn on their expensive “peaker” plants to meet demand. 80% of that goes to the customer, through OhmConnect, and the remaining 20% back to OhmConnect.
Given how expensive power is in California, it’s probably a viable business model.
I’ve mad up to $60 for a single OhmHour event this past summer. If you have a big house, this is definitely worth checking out. Also, I was given a free Ecobee4 programmable thermostat and 2 smart plugs. If they notice you are participating, there are a lot of freebies available.
I redeemed my whopping 400 watt points yesterday - I got $0.25 which apparently can be cashed out and 2 free spins. With one of the free spins, I got 8 entries into macbook prize. I’m not sure how much of a $$$ maker it is for me, I don’t use a lot of electricity to begin with, but it can’t hurt. Can also get $25 if you sign up through BeFrugal which seems better than the $10 you apparently get from clicking a referral link.
Over the past 3 years I have redeemed the points for 4 Google Nest thermostats, 10 ohmPlug smart plugs, 5-10 Amazon giftcards of $10 each. I think I also got another smart plug at 50% discount