GridRewards app helps Con Edison customers in Westchester manage energy use

Mount Kisco, NY With electricity costs skyrocketing, thousands of Con Edison customers in Westchester and New York City are realizing the many benefits of using the free GridReward app to manage their daily energy use, including cash rewards and lower monthly utility bills. The creator of the app and operator of the program, Logical Buildings, anticipates increased subscribership in upcoming months, largely in response to escalating energy rates.

Sustainable Westchester, a nonprofit municipal membership organization that counts forty-five Westchester municipalities as members, began its collaboration with Logical Buildings in 2020. 

“Sustainable Westchester chose to partner with Logical Buildings to promote GridRewards because we immediately saw how empowering it was for Westchester residents and small businesses to take more control of their energy usage and while doing so, to earn money and reduce strain on our electric grid,” said Nina Orville, executive director, Sustainable Westchester. “Reducing usage during times of peak demand also has an important environmental justice impact as those are the times that the utility puts the dirtiest power generating plants into service. Reducing environmental impact while providing other benefits to our communities is core to our mission and approach.”

In the nearly two years since the revolutionary technology was rolled out, initially as an AI program and, in spring 2021, as an app, the GridRewards “community” has prevented more than 200 tons of carbon from entering the atmosphere. This reduction of carbon is equivalent to taking more than 11,000 homes completely off the grid during high electric load events, 15,000 cars off the road for one day, or offsetting more than 500,000 miles driven. In New York City, alone, the reduced load this past summer drastically decreased the use of pollution-producing peaker plants.

The free GridRewards app can be downloaded to any smartphone from either the App Store or Google Play and does not require Wi-Fi, a computer, or technical expertise to set up and use. The first-of-its-kind technology sends out easy-to-follow prompts that inform subscribers when to raise their air-conditioner settings by a few degrees or run appliances like washing machines and dishwashers. The app also sends out reminders to turn off lights in unoccupied rooms, among other guidelines. For a few simple actions reflecting smart energy usage choices, customers are awarded cash payments and can shrink their monthly utility bills. 

“With the completion of this year’s first payment cycle in January, we were able to distribute cash rewards to thousands of GridRewards subscribers in Westchester and New York City,” said Jeff Hendler, CEO of Logical Buildings. “They also had access to information that enabled them to make smart decisions to reduce their monthly utility bills.” 

The GridRewards app sends out notifications that help users make energy management decisions in real-time. Rewards receivers are informed of their cash savings daily. They are also prompted as they accrue and when the rewards can be collected through PayPal for instant cash or by a paper check mailed to the subscriber’s address. GridRewards additionally offers the option to donate earnings to non-profit organizations focused on food insecurity, sustainability, and energy equity. The five beneficiaries selected for 2021/2022, comprise: City Harvest, Mothers Out Front, WE ACT,  Natural Areas Conservancy, and Sustainable Westchester. 

As another incentive to help grow the “climate activist” community, GridRewards users can receive a ten-dollar bonus for every new subscriber they introduce to the app, simply by having them add their personal code on the application and participate in upcoming events. As an additional benefit, these new subscribers will also receive a ten-dollar “thank you” bonus when they save electricity during the GridRewards season. 

The greatest rewards generated by GridRewards users are being enjoyed by everyone living and working in healthier, more livable environments. It is paying it forward, while earning rewards, when a few small changes can make a big impact.