Energy Efficiency Frequently Asked Questions

It depends on the house, the weather and thermostat settings. We have demonstrated a total home energy savings of 10% across the country! Connected Savings optimizes around the Homeowner’s settings – maximizing energy savings while minimizing the impact to comfort.

Connected Savings uses data from a connected thermostat or smart meter, and hyperlocal weather data to develop a custom energy model of buildings to understand how each one responds to varying weather conditions. Using this model, Connected Savings then sends optimized thermostat schedules to participating thermostats each day based on the forecasted weather, the thermal properties of the building, and a customer’s selected comfort settings. The result is lower energy use and costs without sacrificing customer comfort. In certain areas, the energy saved by Connected Savings helps to reduce strain on the electric grid during periods of high energy demand. Our system also facilitates customers setting deeper thermostat setbacks.

Sure, if you have a bunch of time on your hands, are into integrals and heat transfer equations, and really enjoy analyzing large volumes of data. Or you can leave the number-crunching to us and go out and enjoy life. (Disclaimer: Previous sentence not meant to insult the weather and math geeks among us – we love/are one of you!)

The problem with programmable thermostats is that few people know or have the time to program them for optimal energy use. Connected Savings knows and will do it every day with unmatched precision. Not only does Connected Savings optimize thermostat settings each day, we also recalculate settings on-the-fly if the weather develops differently than forecasted!

Yes, it does. The HVAC systems you purchase and the quality of construction and materials in your house matter more. But beyond that, temperature, humidity, wind, and solar are the next largest factors in determining how much you pay to keep a home comfortable day and night. Therefore, a more precise understanding of current and expected local weather conditions, and how a home will react to them allows Connected Savings to optimize energy use and lower energy bills.

Weather has a big impact to the thermodynamics of every building – changing how long it takes to heat up or cool down; how much heat or cooling is lost through walls, windows and cracks; and how much energy is required to keep occupants comfortable. For example, the amount of energy an air conditioning unit uses to cool a building varies with outside air temperature. The hotter it is outside, the harder the air conditioner has to work to keep the building cool.

The two main differences are that Connected Savings makes customer comfort its No. 1 priority and that it’s powered by the world’s largest real-time weather network. We believe that keeping people comfortable is the key to maximizing program participation and, ultimately, the total amount of energy saved. In the end, it is the hyperlocal weather conditions and forecasts that allow Connected Savings to minimize energy use and maximize savings without sacrificing comfort.