Chances are, you take a shower in the morning as you’re starting your day. Guess what? So does everyone else in your area. Here’s the thing: All these hot water heaters running at the same time costs the power company more money.
That’s why a new company called OhmConnect will pay Californians to shower later.
Here’s how it works: OhmConnect will send you a text when a lot of people in your area are using power, and it will pay you to cut back for an hour — whether that means showering at night, turning off your lights or A/C or even turning off your breaker.
The more you do, the more money you can make.
Some well-paid OhmConnect users use the hour to just leave their house and spend time at the park.
For example, Tanya Williams recently earned an extra $1,700 in one year with OhmConnect — more than $140 a month. A few evenings each week, the 45-year-old stay-at-home mom shut down her home’s electrical panel and took the kids to the pool, or just played board games.
Talk about easy money.
Here’s how to get a check from OhmConnect:
- Sign up for a free OhmConnect account here.
- Sync it with your online utility account through PG&E, SDG&E or Southern California Edison. You must have an online account with one of these electric companies to qualify for OhmConnect.
- Wait for OhmConnect to text you during high-energy-consumption hours
- Head outside, or at least turn the TV off until the hour is up. Heck, you can even play games on your phone during this hour — just resist plugging in any electronics.
- Profit! OhmConnect rewards you with cash.
This all works because the California electricity market (or California ISO) pays OhmConnect to help them avoid turning on an expensive, dirty power plant. The company then passes the savings on to you.
Not too shabby.
