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As an OhmConnect user, you’ve probably noticed that things on the platform look a little different between the fast-and-furious months of summer (May - September-ish) and the steadier paced ‘off season’, when temperatures are cooler.
And while this is likely always going to be the way things are (more rewards in the hot months, fewer in the cooler ones), we want to ensure we’re making the experience the best it can possibly be in both scenarios - and to do so, we need your help!
For a bit of context: In the summer in California, the grid is majorly stressed because lots of people are using energy at the same time (just imagine everyone on your block running their A/C on those hot summer days!). And on those high-demand days, OhmConnect promises the grid that our users (that's you!) will reduce a lot of energy. The grid then pays us for those reductions, and we pass that payment on to you as points and bonuses.
This is why June, July, and August are when big rewards are up for grabs, like the MEGA payouts and prizes you saw last summer. We’re rewarding deep reductions when the grid needs it most and is willing to pay for it!
But during the rest of the year, things on the grid tend to be more stable. There is less energy demand and energy prices stay lower. We, in turn, have fewer #OhmHours.
But have no fear … big payouts will return next summer!
During the off-season, we could have simply had very few #OhmHours and said “See ya next summer!”
Instead, we thought it would be more fun -- and would continue to help the energy grid and the planet -- to continue the #OhmHours, giving away prizes instead of points (points we couldn’t afford to award when the grid wasn't paying us.)
But, we've gotten mixed feedback, hearing from some folks that not everyone loves these #OhmHours for prizes. So we want to hear your thoughts!
Let’s go behind the scenes a bit.
Something that might be helpful to know when you’re filling out the survey (and something that we keep in mind when we make any changes to the OhmConnect experience) is that we (and you) get paid the most when lots of people come together and reduce a LOT of energy at the same time.
We (and you) get paid the most when lots of people come together and reduce a LOT of energy at the same time.
For example, over the summer of 2018, we reduced enough energy to shut down four dirty power plants — or plant 3.6 million trees! The more we reduce together at the same time, the more we get paid — and can pay you.
In the past, we rewarded users who could reduce (even just a little bit of energy) consistently with unlimited streak bonuses, but recently had to adapt our program to the way the grid actually works: deep reductions when they’re needed most.
Now, we’re looking at ways to drive deeper energy reductions from everyone during the same OhmHour.
We’re looking at ways to drive deeper energy reductions from everyone during the same #OhmHour.
And we want to do it in a way that you’d find the most fun and rewarding!
We mean it when we say: your input will help us shape the future of our service. As a thank you, we’ll enter your name into a draw to win a $1,000 Amazon gift card!
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