OhmConnect: Scam or Legit?

ohmconnectLegit but disappointing.  Here’s the deal:  this company is an “energy aggregator” that makes money by helping customers respond to energy price swings.   In the energy industry, they call this “Demand Response”. The aggregator (OhmConnect) makes money by helping the utility avoid turning on a power plant and then passes along some of the savings to you.   Who knew?  However, we were not impressed with the rewards given to the Ohm Connect members.

In April 2017, SDG&E inked a deal with OhmConnect to aggregate customer usage so as to produce 4.5MW of “nega-watts” from residential customers throughout Southern California.  (Negawatts are a fancy regulatory term for electricity saved by reducing usage or being more efficient in your usage).  So when OhmConnect connects with its members, asking for you to reduce your power, they are actually selling that unused power to SDG&E in exchange for real $ — that the company then shares with its members.

So if you’ve seen an ad that reads:  “Looking for SCE, PG&G, and SDG&E users. Money Opportunity ” or got a referral from a friend via social media, it’s a real offer by an entrepreneurial company.   Sign-up is pretty easy.   Simply click on this OhmConnect link and the 5 minute process begins.  It should be noted that to sign up Ohmconnect, you will need to provide them with your Utility companies online login credentials. This is necessary so that their system can obtain your historical power usage data. After signing up and synching your utility account you become eligible for incentive payments called “OhmHours”.  There are some Ohmconnect cash out requirements, but they are pretty reasonable. 

Then all you do is wait for the company text alerts.  This usually happens when your utility declares a “peak hour event”. Once you receive one,  you turn off some of your appliances during this peak hour event.  This kind of event usually occurs during the summer months.   We recommend that you set the notification time frame to 24 hours round with your phone, so you can always confirm participation whenever Ohmhour events become available.You then get paid $20.00 if you respond promptly to an Ohmhour event.   Some tips to earns these savings includes:

  • Keep your devices chaged. Unplug the devices and run your laptops, phones and pads on their battery power.
  • Turn off large appliances during the event.  Big ticket appliance items such as Washers and dryers, and Air Conditioning use up the most power. Make sure you do not wash your clothes or full blast your AC during the event. If you do, you will most likely find yourself over your projected amount. Your best bet may be to leave your house, grab a cup of coffee during the power saving event.
  • Use Smart Home devices. Ohmconnect has the ability to “talk” to your smart home devices such as Nest or chargers for your electric vehicles. This connection automates your power saving process by turning off specific processes. If you do have the items that they offer, consider to connect the services to take full advantage of the automation. If you do not, consider investing in them may bring you long term monetary benefits.

We spent the better part of two years (2020-2022) with OhmConnect saving energy when directed and accumulated some 31,000 points….which ended up netting us about $35. Not impressive. While probably not a Ponzi scheme, the program appears to provide surprisingly little value to those customers who are doing their best to cut back their electric consumption. Consider us duly unimpressed with the OhmConnect program.

21 thoughts on “OhmConnect: Scam or Legit?”

  1. Most people who are positive about OhmConnect talk about referral fees. This makes it appear to be a giant ponzi scheme. The problem is that it is being funded by the utilities, meaning the public, and that it is dishonest about how it I’d positively benefiting the community.

    I specifically cancelled when they told me to run my air conditioning more so they could turn it off. This was the only way I could have benefited from the program.

    Today I signed up for a new Google program and was told that I signed up again for OhmConnect. The rampant acquisition of customers funded by the public should be audited.

    Reply
  2. They do not have a support team. If Ohmconnect did, they would have replied to my mail back in August 2021
    I emailed them 3 times on different occasions and still have not heard back from them. Called (844) 646-2664, and it kept taking me to an automated system.
    I signed up for the Nest Thermostat promotion in May 2021. The thermostat is not compatible with my home. Never opened. I even called their (844) 646-2664 from my credit charged, and it was the automatic system. Total Scam.
    I tried their online return system https://ohmconnect.happyreturns.com/, and it states I am out of the return period after they charged me.
    Sign up for their reward and get tons of text messages and get ripped off. In addition, to giving them your information. They will be happy to take your money. We will see how long their fake promotion will go on when it says limited time.

    Reply
    • No, you can still qualify for the program with solar. In fact, it has proven to be an advantage to have solar, in our experience. Especially during the summer months.

      Reply
  3. It’s not a scam but it’s definitely not worth your time. They may lure you in if you play their game but after a few months they start gaming their own system by giving you times and days that the most you could earn is pennies but you have to have al your electricity shut off for hours. And yes they are harvesting a TON of data and selling it.

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      • I agree! We signed up and received the TP-link that it encourages you to buy which requires connection to the Kasa app that is based in China. There is obvious data mining. I’m not going to continue.

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  4. I have tried to signup several times. Ohmconnect does not have a phone number. Does not respond to emails. There is automatic chat bot
    that provides ZERO useful info. I am dubious if this company is anything more than data harvest scam.

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    • You are correct. They don’t have a phone number. However, you can connect with them via email under their Support link. This company is legit, in that they do monetize your power usage shifts. But customer support is clearly not their strongest suit.

      Reply
  5. IMy experience witht he TP-LINK Smart Plug with Energy Monitoring HS-110 is dismal. It covers up the second outlet on your wall outlet.
    I asked for a Refund but they refused to give me a Refund on open boxes. Tpicture on the box shows the plug as not covering up the second outlet but once you open the box and plug it in you will see that it covers up your second outlet.
    I asked for a replacement for the smaller TP-LINK Smart Plug with Energy Monitoring HS-105 or a refund but they will not even reply to my request.

    Reply
    • What is “TP-LINK Smart Plug with Energy Monitoring HS-110”? Is this something you bought stand-alone from somewhere? How is it related to OhmConnect? (I don’t mean that sarcastically at all- I am trying to learn more about OhmConnect.).

      Reply
      • TP-Link is a smart plug that we discuss at our blog about smart plugs. They can be useful in controlling and using power during an OhmConnect reduction period.

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  6. I have been using OHMConnect for a month or so and it is very legit. This program has not only resulted in more than a few hundreds in my wallet (after referrals) but more importantly, it is teaching the kids valuable life lessons on the cost of electricity. I highly recommend this FREE program to anyone.

    It can be a pain to set up your OHM account, then your Smart Meter Account (the hardest) and then link them, but it is definitely worth a little struggle. I have experienced the smart meter containing errors from the electricity provider by the OHM Team has been quite good.

    Reply
  7. Sorry Paul you have had issues with them. I have recieved over $1000 in cash and a ecobee4 Thermostat for free.

    You just have to play the game with them. Putting a smart plug on my refrigerator and other high energy devices really helped.

    Reply
  8. Scam or legit is not the relevant question! Ohmconnect is a great idea. The management of ohmconnect is completely incompetent. Ohmconnect is a waste of valuable time and energy. I could get nowhere with Ohmconnect despite an extraordinary amount of time and effort.

    Reply

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