Sometimes, the people that inspire us the most are the ones that set out to effect positive changes against seemingly insurmountable odds.
This week, we’re featuring a man who wants to help the world reduce carbon emissions, one small spark at a time.
Please tell us about yourself:
I’m Curtis Tongue, CMO and Co-Founder of OhmConnect.
If a home reduces by 1 kWh, the grid pays that home as if they generated 1 kWh.
You are working on something pretty cool. Care to share a little bit about that?
OhmConnect pays you to use less electricity. We coach people to use less electricity during key times of the week and we then sell those reductions back into the grid as if those homes generated electricity. If a home reduces by 1 kWh, the grid pays that home as if they generated 1 kWh. The proceeds are passed directly back to our users.
Many users actually choose to donate their earnings (~ $100 – $200 / year) to local elementary schools or community non-profits such as the Make-A-Wish foundation.
Other users have chosen to integrate their electric cars, wifi thermostats, and other smart home devices to automate their participation in our reduction events.
What made you decide to follow that path?
We decided to follow this path when we saw energy trading companies that were reaping these rewards in the energy markets. All this value was being directed into trading companies’ coffers while we believe it belongs to the electricity ratepayers. We’ve built our platform to reward individuals and communities for making smarter energy decisions.
Power plants emit 2 – 3x the typical amount of CO2
What outcome do you hope to achieve?
When our users reduce their electricity usage, they’re actually helping to offset the grid’s most environmentally damaging power plants. Often times, these power plants emit 2 – 3x the typical amount of CO2. By combining the reductions across all our users, we hope to eliminate our reliance on the dirtiest power plants on the grid.
Walk us through your average day:
There’s rarely an “average” day in the life of a start-upper. Things range from talking to customers, building out new features, developing partner relationships, presenting to interest groups, to testing new engagement programs.
If you were stranded on a deserted island, what 3 things would you bring?
A distillation kit, a net, and a knife…..and I’ll cheat and bring the book “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” as a fourth item.
Thanks Curtis for sharing with us! You can find him on Twitter @OhmConnect.
Check back next week for more inspiration.
Do you have a story that you think others should hear? Hit us up at editor@roceteer.com and let us know!