OhmConnect is a San Francisco-based startup that empowers California, New York, and Texas residents to conserve energy during periods of peak demand. These are times when energy costs more because more people want it.

The service connects to smart meters to monitor energy usage and calculate savings during energy-saving events. Smart home devices, such as thermostats, outlets, and more enable customers to automate these conservation opportunities.

Get Connected

If you have service with an eligible utility (Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, or Con Edison) or an OhmConnect retail energy account in Texas, you can create an account.

Then, you’ll connect OhmConnect with your utility account and give it permission to monitor your usage.

Start Saving Energy

As peak demand periods come along, you’ll receive a notification by email or text message of an upcoming OhmHour. These are usually one hour long but sometimes can be 2–4 hours, such as during a heat wave.

The first notice usually comes about 24 hours in advance and the second is a few minutes before the event. You can use this as an invitation to manually turn off or unplug appliances and electronics in your home, as well as to defer energy hungry activities like laundry.

When demand periods cannot be forecast so far in advance, there are AutoOhms, 15-minute periods that sometimes string together. Either way, you can get a leg up by automating these shutdowns with various smart home devices.

Smart Home Automation

You don’t need the latest and greatest AI systems in your home to participate. A simple smart outlet between the wall and a plug is sufficient for things that plug into the wall. I recommend the TP-Link Kasa brand’s smart plugs and currently have an assortment of HS105, KP115, and EP25 models. Each provides one switchable outlet in a slim design where two can fit a common pair of wall outlets.

The HS105 is a basic outlet that is compatible with Alexa and Google Assistant. The KP115 adds an energy monitoring function and the EP25 additionally supports Apple HomeKit. For appliances that I wouldn’t manually switch on demand, like a fridge or air purifier, I’m using an OhmPlug. [Update: My OhmPlugs stopped working and OhmConnect voluntarily replaced them with KP115 plugs.]

Mac Automation with IFTTT & Folder Actions

Last week, after much searching and contemplation, I finally found a way to automate Folding@home on my Mac in response to OhmHours. OhmConnect interoperates with IFTTT (“If This Then That”), a tool that enables users to create “applets” that connect device- and web-based applications to each other based on specific triggering activities.

When an OhmHour or AutoOhm starts, an IFTTT applet creates a certain text file in a particular folder in my Dropbox, which syncs with my Mac.

Then, using Folder Actions on the Mac, which monitors that Dropbox folder, the appearance of the text file runs a script that pauses the Folding@home process.

An equivalent IFTTT applet and Folder Action script handle resuming Folding@home when the OhmHour or AutoOhm ends.

I love these kinds of creative design projects that get me thinking critically about how to connect multiple, disparate systems. Sometimes they’re over my head due to complicated documentation, but IFTTT and Folder Actions are pretty easy to configure.

Using OhmConnect, your conservation efforts reward you with Watts. These have value because the company trades energy in regional markets and conserves it as a community, effectively contributing it back to the grid.

You can redeem Watts for cash or for credit toward various smart home accessories. Plus, you get the good feeling about using fewer resources when they otherwise cost you more than usual.

If you want help thinking through or designing a home automation, let me know.