Mayors from Hastings to Sleepy Hollow are engaging in a friendly competition; encouraging residents to sign up for GridRewards to illustrate the importance of synchronicity when it comes to energy reduction. The challenge takes place now through April 28, 2023.
GridRewards, owned by Logical Buildings, AI tech leader in sustainability, is an app designed to get large numbers of people to lower their energy consumption at the same time by getting paid to do so. In order to alleviate stress on the grid when high energy demand is forecasted (think summertime heat waves), GridRewards users are prompted (via the app) to take simple, energy-saving actions, such as raising their thermostat a few degrees, or running dishwashers at off-peak hours. They are then compensated for their efforts — in cash.
Mayors from around the Rivertowns are urging residents, nonprofits and commercial property managers alike to sign up for GridRewards, especially as we near Earth Day on April 22nd. Niki Armacost from Hastings is leading the charge for her Village.
“We’re very excited to participate in another Mayor’s Challenge this year using GridRewards! There are many actions people can take to reduce their carbon footprint, but GridRewards is one of the very simplest we’ve seen. And if we all work together – which is of course the real trick and the brilliance of the app, it is not only Rivertowns residents who win, but every person living within a few miles of a polluting Peaker Plant”.
When so many users reduce their energy consumption at the same time, or in a synchronized manner, it effectively creates a distributed virtual power plant (VPP) and reduces the need for expensive, polluting, fossil-fuel-powered Peaker Plants — for those hot summer days or when the grid is overworked.
On days with extreme weather, like heat waves or sub-zero temperatures, redents consume more energy to stay cool and warm, which puts excessive demand on the grid. In response to this increased demand in electricity, highly polluting power plants known as “peakers” fire up in the South Bronx, Sunset Park, and other communities of color throughout New York City. These inefficient peakers spew harmful emissions into neighborhoods already overburdened by pollution, exacerbating widespread health problems.
Peaker plants are a prime example of how low-income communities and communities of color bear the brunt of a host of energy and industrial infrastructure that poses significant public health and environmental hazards. Most of these fossil fuel peaker plants are very old, some dating back to the 1950s, and many have been operating in the city for decades without any modern pollution control equipment. Some plants run on highly polluting fuels like kerosene or oil, at least part of the time.
“Since launching the first demand-response offering in Westchester three years ago, Sustainable Westchester and Logical Buildings have seen highly impactful results driven by County residents, businesses and municipalities using GridRewards,” said Jim Kuster, Interim Executive Director at Sustainable Westchester.
“The growth in participants committed to engaging with the platform and taking action when prompted validates our shared goal of reducing carbon emissions and also providing valuable grid services.”
On April 12, at 12:00 – Join the New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce and Nonprofit Westchester for a 30 minute webinar about Sustainable Westchester’s GridRewards, a demand response tool that can pay your business or nonprofit to reduce electricity usage at key times. Learn how to enroll your buildings and show the community your business/nonprofit is taking action on Earth Day! Registration Link: https://bit.ly/GridRewards
For more information visit Gridrewards.com, or sustainablewestchester.org/gridrewards.
