OhmConnect Review: Earn Beer Money Conserving Power

You know that you should cut back on your electricity use. Energy waste costs money that you don’t have, you’re generating carbon emissions, your energy company might cause nasty pollution. Despite all the environmental guilt piled on by every teacher, NPR podcast and PBS broadcast since the dawn of the nineties, we all waste energy.

But what if you could reduce electrical waste, save money on your bills, earn beer money or help pay down your student loan in the process? Would you do it? A company called OhmConnect is making that a reality in California. We explain how OhmConnect works and how you can cash in.

Buying Credits To Balance A Load

Energy companies don’t like using less efficient power plants because they aren’t cost effective, and they make it harder for the company to comply with pollution regulations. Because of that, California’s energy companies are actually willing to pay consumers not to use energy during peak energy demand.

Of course, energy companies can’t make contracts with every individual household to buy back energy. That's where OhmConnect comes into the picture. OhmConnect is a clean tech company that helps its users save energy and make money. In fact, their company won the U.S. Department of Energy’s American Energy Data Challenge.

Their algorithms monitor energy use on a minute by minute basis. When energy use approaches peak loads (where the less efficient power plants come online), they start taking action. 

Here’s How Their Actions Work

OhmHour Basics

The key to making money from OhmConnect comes from understanding the OhmHour.

OhmConnect wants their user base to reduce energy consumption during unexpectedly high load periods. They call those periods “OhmHours.”

When an OhmHour goes into effect, you want to cut back energy use as far as possible from your baseline energy use. That means turning off your TV, shutting off lights, killing the washer and dryer etc. Hardcore OhmConnect users typically leave the house during OhmHours because they want to reduce energy as much as possible.

How does OhmConnect determine whether or not you saved energy? They calculate your home’s average energy consumption on 10 weekdays or 4 weekend days prior to OhmHour. Your average consumption is your baseline. If you reduce energy consumption below your baseline, you earn points. Each point is worth one cent. 

If you take care of these “hacks”, you can expect to earn around $500 per year. Some users reported earning as much as $2,400 in their first year by automating their home and making a game out of saving energy.

Get Crazy With Referrals

As an OhmConnect user, you can get a unique referral code. If your friends signup for OhmConnect, and they reduce their energy use during one OhmHour, you earn a 2,000 point bonus. That’s a $20 signup bonus!

One customer earned more than $11,000 through the referral bonus system, and other users said they earned a few hundred dollars.