Nest Labs is making nice with energy companies — and nice to own the Nest thermostat, in general. The company just announced a partnership with several energy companies that will offer rebate programs to Nest users.
Right now, these options are only available to subscribers of NRG Energy and its subsidiaries, which includes Reliant and Green Mountain Energy, National Grid, Austin Energy and Southern California Edison. If you’ve got one of those services and a Nest, you can start reaping the benefits of two new programs: Rush Hour Rewards and Seasonal Savings.
Rush Hour Rewards basically pits you against neighbors, so you’ll earn money or credits if you’re using less energy when everyone else is using more. Seasonal Savings, on the other hand, will use the Nest’s Auto-Tune technology to fine-tune the thermostat based on a user’s schedule and preferences, as well as the outside temperature.
According to some of Nest’s initial data, Seasonal Savings can save customers anywhere between 5 and 10 percent on energy for heating and cooling, with Rush Hour Rewards participants snagging $20 to $60 per season. Of course, results will vary, based on the provider and other factors, such as weather conditions.
“Acording to data from the Consortium for Energy Efficiency and Pike Research, in 2011, energy companies allocated approximately $9 billion to energy efficiency and peak-reduction programs,” said Tony Fadell, Nest founder and CEO. “Nest’s new offerings have the potential to make these programs not only more effective, but effortless for consumers. We’re working with some of the country’s most progressive energy providers — like NRG companies Reliant and Green Mountain Energy — and applying our design and marketing expertise, focus on the customer, and understanding of technology to make energy efficiency simple and accessible.”
Both of the new services are currently exclusive to Nest’s energy partners. For more information on the Nest, read our Hands On: Nest 2 Learning Thermostat write-up. For more info about Nest’s partners, check out the energy partners section of the company’s website.