This Startup Helps You Save Money While Saving the Planet

updated Oct 13, 2022
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There are lots of little ways you can be more environmentally friendly around the house; from weatherstripping to chemical free cleaning, little changes can make a big impact. One start up has harnessed the goodwill of individual households to make a large impact on the environment.

OhmConnect organizes “events” to make sure that people’s efforts to save energy are put to the best use possible, by powering everyone down at the same time.

OhmConnect is an app that alerts users when their power grid is overwhelmed, so they can turn off lights, turn down the thermostat and help keep power usage down and in turn, OhmConnect puts money back into their accounts.

When a power grid gets overloaded, it often switches over to an emergency source, which is highly inefficient, expensive and bad for the environment. Users who sign up for OhmConnect receive alerts about upcoming energy surges and if they power down (within reason) for about an hour they are rewarded for doing their part. Users can either translate their points into cash or have OhmConnect donate their savings to a charity of their choice. On average, a small apartment can expect to save $30-40 a year, with a large household saving up to $200.

Users are able to opt out of the low energy time period, known as the Ohm-Hour, but they will receive some light shaming. The California based company has roughly 290,000 signed up for the service, and is eyeing other cities for potential expansion.

Would you use a crowdsourced energy saving app?

Other ways to save energy and help the planet: