You likely already know that you only pay for the electricity you use, and that making energy-efficient choices can help reduce your usage. Now, AEP Ohio is introducing new ways to earn money while saving energy.
Our Power Rewards: Smart Thermostat program rewards you for reducing your electricity use when energy demand is high. All it takes is a smart thermostat and easy program enrollment. And if you don’t have a smart thermostat, you can purchase one and receive instant savings in our Smart Thermostat Marketplace.
Here’s how the Power Rewards program works: On days when electricity demand is at its highest, or when distribution equipment is constrained, AEP Ohio may initiate an energy conservation event. While the event is underway, a signal will be sent to your smart thermostat to temporarily adjust your temperature set point by no more than 3 degrees. Your home will not instantly become warmer or colder. In fact, you may not notice any temperature change at all.
Important details to keep in mind:
- Energy conservation events will last four hours or less.
- You always maintain control of your thermostat and can override AEP Ohio’s adjustments at any time.
- These events are optional; by participating, you can help reduce statewide power consumption and electricity load to ensure a stable energy supply.
Ready to get started?
I need to purchase a smart thermostat.
- Visit AEP Ohio’s Smart Thermostat Marketplace.
- Create a new customer account or sign in to your existing account. (Note: this is different than the login for your AEP Ohio account.)
- Select the thermostat that best fits your needs and add it to your cart. The price will reflect an instant rebate of $75.
- LIMITED TIME: Earth Day Sale! Some thermostats currently offer additional savings of up to $40.
- Make sure the box to enroll in the Power Rewards: Smart Thermostat program is checked to receive the instant savings.
I own a smart thermostat.
- Go to our Power Rewards: Smart Thermostat page.
- Review the eligibility requirements and program details.
- Click the red sign-up button at the bottom of the page and follow the prompts. To ensure a quick review process, make sure your enrollment information matches your AEP Ohio primary account holder’s information.
- Once enrolled, you’ll receive a one-time $50 digital gift card.
BONUS REWARDS: If you participate in at least 75% of the Power Rewards peak demand events throughout the year, you’ll also receive a $25 digital gift card each year.
For more information, visit AEPOhio.com/PowerRewards or the marketplace at AEPOhio.com/ShopSmart.
That’s it? You pay me $25 if I go with this program? Plus I have to upgrade my thermostat? That is not saving me in the long run.
If I cut back anymore electric I might as well join Amish my thermostat set 63 to 65 I only use nightlight at night to see and bills are already ridiculous to point choose between meds or the screw you electric
Can’t you find another way – to pass the buck?
We don’t have air other than window ac and we heat with a gas stove I try to save on gas and electric the house it 100 years old
I can use any savings I can get. We have installed new windows and doors. An electric heat pump has been installed along with central air instead of window air conditioners.
Our electric bills are already ridiculous and very hard for us as seniors to pay. How can we take even higherbills?
$25 a year for this??? wow don’t break the bank. That is the least you could possibly offer. That would take a decade to cover the cost of the new thermostat I would have to buy. Way to cheap out AEP.
interested. I hink my my thermostat is already a smart one?
I have an all electric home but I don’t have a furnace so I can’t use a smart thermostat to earn money.
This is stupid. I keep my house at 62 max. I turn it down to 55 even in the winter. We bundle up. I can’t afford to run it higher. I don’t even have central A/C. And my budget is 280/mo with a ballon in July. Why don’t you figure the budgets better? When I called, paying “extra” wasn’t allowed? Insane.
It’s nice that AEP is at least trying to help people save money. Remember it’s a big company not a single person profiting from our use. It could always be worse.
For the risk of your thermostat being hacked into, I don’t feel the $25 is worth the risk.
What are seniors supposed to do? We only have so much money. I am broke right now and forever and the electric bill is just ridiculous. I live alone. I live all the lights off but one and the TV on and that’s it. Don’t use the air conditioner keep my house cold sit here and freeze because of the electric bill. When’s it gonna stop?
AEP OHIO should implement a discount for Seniors program.
Maybe AEP wouldnt have to charge so much if they didnt send emails about weather every time a cloud is in the sky.
Maybe shut the power off to the freeloaders living off of mine and other tax payers dollar.
How many decades has AEP been paying quarterly dividends to their investors?
Look it up. They basically brag about it.
Just take a quarter or two off and pay for all the upgrades the company thinks need to be made to the infrastructure.
Believe me, the dividends they pay are not that great for stockholders. But the compensation packages and salaries for the CEO’s are in the millions. Maybe stop paying them so much for doing next to nothing.
We unfortunately rent an apartment in North Canton that has the same AC on the carport roof when the place was built over 50 yrs. ago. No way can it be efficient. Also, furnace way outdated and inefficient. When old windows were replaced rather than fix them we got so much air coming in from them and they never fit tight. Kind of sad that Plain Township or North Canton has no control over large apartment complexes or requiremmment to update the very old electrical wiring not meant for todays electronics!
it’s all about CONTROL! No Thank you~!
This is ridiculous. We pay more than enough. And ever since you installed your Smart meters our electricity has gone up . The meters are only smart for AEP to gouge their customers. When will the Public Utilities Commission start working for the people and stop this price gouging. I feel sorry for the Seniors on fixed incomes.
The problem with the PUCO is that our state government likes to appoint retired power system executives to the board. Nothing will really change until consumers start getting true representation.
Awesome post.
Maybe AEP needs to check all of the PMHA housing (931) and drug rehab facilities (152) in Scioto County! Sounds like they all need to have these smart thermostats. Or our tax dollars keep helping the freeloaders! Someone needs to make them work or pick up trash that they throw everywhere! I have worked since I was 15 yrs old and I am really getting tired of everything going up except my paycheck.
People are complaining, What! AEP is by far the best electric and cheapest of all the other companies. I feel very lucky to have AEP! I have a 1200 sq.ft. house and it’s app. 80 years old. New windows, doors, roof. Window a.c.. my elec. bill is half of what others that have other companies have for instance, Toledo Edison. Seriously, I’m thankful!
I have read the blog on earning money while saving energy through new programs and found the AEP Ohio Power Rewards program truly interesting. The opportunity to earn rewards while helping reduce energy consumption is a win-win! I want to explore this program further to save on energy costs.
Just remind us of the peak hours of usage and we can try to reduce our own usage at that time of week and day.
It’s almost a mute point that $25 savings isn’t much when you look at the cost we pay each month. Still, any savings helps and I, personally, want to help conserve energy, so I think this is something worth a try. Where I live, AEP is by far the best company for electric service so I say thank you AEP.
I’m a senior on fixed income and I rent I can’t afford anymore hits to my bills