One year after launching Nest energy services, Nest Labs Inc. has announced the results of its Rush Hour Rewards and Seasonal Savings programs.
BitWise’s Nest app
In the summer of 2013, Rush Hour Rewards delivered an average of 55 percent energy reduction in residential air conditioning loads during peak times while Seasonal Savings helped customers lower their overall air conditioning runtime by 4.7 percent, according to the company.
This summer, Nest is introducing enhanced Rush Hour Rewards and Seasonal Savings programs, as well as adding new energy partners across the U.S., Canada, and the U.K.
“In just one year, Nest energy services have achieved significant savings, and we’ve managed to do this without compromising customer comfort,” said Tony Fadell, Nest founder and CEO. “In fact, 84 percent of customers who participated in Rush Hour Rewards and 89 percent of customers who participated in Seasonal Savings told us they were just as comfortable as they were before they participated in our energy service programs. This is critical to the adoption and ultimate success of these programs.”
Rush Hour Rewards helps people save money or earn credits from their energy providers by using less energy when everyone else is using more. With Seasonal Savings, a Nest thermostat uses its knowledge of a customer’s schedule and preferences to gradually fine-tune the temperature schedule to help save more energy. Both services are powered by Nest’s proprietary Auto-Tune technology and offered only through Nest’s energy partners.
Rush Hour Rewards 2.0 gives Nest energy partners the flexibility to choose between day-ahead deployment (customers are notified the evening prior to the event and the event lasts for two to four hours) or instant Rush Hour Rewards (customers can choose to be notified 10 minutes before the event and the event lasts for 30 minutes). The new option of a shorter event allows Nest energy partners to react quickly to changing weather conditions in specific geographical areas. Both versions of the program provide 55 percent energy reductions on average during peak-load times without compromising comfort.
Previously, Nest had two specific dates on which the company initiated adjustments for summer and winter. Seasonal Savings 2.0 will continue to make small, half-degree temperature adjustments over a three-week period. However, recognizing different weather and climate patterns across regions and homes, Seasonal Savings will be customized for each customer based on personal preference and weather profiles. This will increase the overall energy saved, continue to keep customers comfortable, and help with even wider adoption.
To offer more people the opportunity to earn money and save energy, Nest is expanding its energy partnerships globally, adding npower in the U.K. and Columbia Gas of Ohio, ComEd, CPS Energy, and Direct Energy in the U.S. These companies join more than 12 existing Nest energy partners—including NRG Energy, its subsidiaries Reliant and Green Mountain Energy, Direct Energy Canada, National Grid, Austin Energy, Infinite Energy and Southern California Edison—in offering instant rebates and exclusive offers for the Nest Learning Thermostat, as well as introducing ways to save energy with Rush Hour Rewards and Seasonal Savings.
Rush Hour Rewards and Seasonal Savings are available only to customers of both Nest and a participating Nest energy partner. For more information, visit www.nest.com/energy-partners.
