Saving energy is no longer just about cutting your utility costs and protecting the environment. There’s another great reason to invest in energy efficiency: You can save energy and help others pay their bills.
Under a fledgling program from CLEAResult and Gridmates, people can save energy in their own households and then donate the saved energy to those who can’t afford to pay their utility bills. They do this through a platform from Gridmates.
Here are details from the two companies, which are now testing the idea at the Community First! village, a 27-acre master-planned community that will provide affordable, sustainable housing and a supportive community for the disabled, chronically homeless in Central Texas. The goal is to send 1 million kWh to the community through energy donations that would be worth $85,000. The project is about halfway to its goal.
What are the implications of crowdsourcing energy for energy efficiency programs?
“Crowdsourcing energy is an interesting concept with great implications for future energy efficiency programs. For example, utilities can better incentivize and motivate customers to adopt energy efficiency programs by offering them the option to donate energy saved to those in need within the community through a platform like Gridmates. Therefore, simple energy efficiency steps – such as switching out light bulbs to LED lighting and reducing household energy consumption with the use of smart thermostats – could equate to more energy put back on the grid for those who need it most.”
–Michele Negley, vice president south region for CLEAResult
How does the peer-to-peer energy sharing technology work and how are energy donations made to energy consumers, such as Austin’s chronically homeless in this case?
With the Gridmates platform users are able to buy or donate any amount of energy they want using a credit/debit card or PayPal and provide free electricity to the residents of the Community First! Village. It is tax deductible. The process is very simple. Visit http://www.mlf.org/gridmates or http://www.gridmates.com, read the information, click “send energy,” select a dollar or energy amount, and see the impact of the energy on people’s lives. The user can then confirm and use a credit or debit card or Paypal to execute the process in a secure way. Users will immediately receive an energy saving tip on how they can save this amount of energy at their home! An email with detailed information for tax purposes will also be sent.
In the future, once Gridmates establishes collaboration with utilities or energy retailers, the energy sharing process will be integrated into their utility accounts. Gridmates will help utilities and energy retailers provide the transfer of energy between utility customers. This is called transactive energy.
– George Koutitas, CEO & co-founder, Gridmates
Do you know of other programs that have used an energy sharing concept before?
“Utilities and energy retailers may already implement community assistance programs for low-income households but the model and value proposition of Gridmates is different. Gridmates brings peer-to-peer energy sharing one click away from utility customers. Gridmates offers peer-to-peer energy sharing but also personalized energy saving tips to all Gridmate users. The energy donor and the recipient of energy can both see how they can save the amount of shared energy. With the Gridmates platform, users are able to interact and see in real time their impact. It is more engaging.”
George Koutitas, CEO & co-founder, Gridmates
Besides the Community First! Village, what are other examples of how Gridmates’s tool can be used for saving and donating energy?
“After our pilot launch with Community First! Village, Gridmates will open the platform to other non-profit organizations but will also integrate the services with utilities and energy retailers. Users will be able to share energy with specific individuals or non-profits or with an anonymous pool of people categorized according to location, needs, etc.”
George Koutitas, CEO & co-founder, Gridmates
