Smart Thermostat Program Features Record
Rebate to Help Consumers Cut Cooling Costs by 10-20%
Amid the hottest time of the year, consumer advocates joined
with Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) and the Illinois Commerce
Commission (ICC) Tuesday to make Chicago-area consumers aware that
cooling an empty home, while they are away at work or on vacation,
can cause summer energy bills to soar.
Smart thermostats provide the easy solution to high seasonal
bills, and this summer, northern Illinois consumers can take
advantage of unprecedented rebates as part of one of the largest
thermostat rebate programs in the country.
The "One Million Smart Thermostats" initiative, launched in
October 2015, is a partnership between the utilities and the
advocacy groups Environmental Law & Policy Center (ELPC) and
Citizens Utility Board (CUB). Under this initiative smart
thermostats are eligible for up to $150 in rebates offered by ComEd
and other Illinois gas utilities for customers with WiFi, central
air and a furnace. The rebates can help cut the cost of some of
these smart devices by more than 50 percent, and give more control
to northern Illinois consumers to save money by reducing wasteful
energy use.
The goal of the program this year is to double the adoption to
100,000 smart thermostats in households across Illinois. To help
create awareness and boost adoption, ComEd has launched an
educational campaign and a new instant discount option for
customers.
“ComEd’s smart thermostat rebate initiative is one of the
largest and most active programs in the nation, reducing up-front
costs for our customers on a product that gives them more control
and even greater savings over time. With just a few taps on a smart
thermostat app, customers can manage their household temperature
while away from home avoiding unnecessary energy use and costs,"
said ComEd President & CEO Anne Pramaggiore.
Smart thermostats are WiFi-enabled devices that allow residents
to easily control the heating and air conditioning settings through
their smartphones, tablets, and computers. The technology is smart
because it learns or adapts to user behavior over time and can
generate energy savings with very little effort. Residents remain
comfortable when home and save money on heating and cooling energy
costs while away at work or on vacation.
“Smart thermostats do the work for you – they adjust the
temperature automatically when you’re not home," said Rob Kelter,
senior attorney for ELPC. "We want even more customers to take
advantage of the great technological innovation of smart
thermostats and keep more money in their pockets.”
CUB Executive Director David Kolata said smart thermostats can
help consumers cut their cooling costs by an estimated 10 to 20
percent. “Smart thermostats prove just how easy and effective
energy efficiency can be,” Kolata said. “The savings from these
easy-to-use devices could be substantial—potentially cutting
northern Illinois electric bills by millions of dollars. We urge
ComEd customers to take advantage of the unprecedented discounts -
available online and in stores- to buy a smart thermostat this
summer.”
“The best way for consumers to control their electric bills, and
help the environment, is to reduce consumption,” said Brien J.
Sheahan, Chairman of the ICC. “Smart thermostats give consumers
greater control of, and visibility into, their energy use which
promotes conservation and helps save money.”
To make it easier for customers to redeem rebates, ComEd
launched a new website, ComEdMarketplace.com, where customers can
shop for smart thermostats and other top-rated energy products and
take advantage of online instant rebates that reduce purchase
costs.
ComEd officials said the smart thermostat program is part of one
of the nation’s best-performing energy efficiency programs, saving
consumers some $2.5 billion. The ComEd Energy Efficiency Program is
about to get even better, thanks to the Future Energy Jobs Act
(FEJA), a bipartisan bill that passed the Illinois General Assembly
late in 2016 and was signed into law by Gov. Bruce Rauner.
In June, ComEd filed with the ICC a new Energy Efficiency
Program, under FEJA. The law will double customer savings and
reduce electricity use in Illinois by 21 percent by 2030.
About ComEd
Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) is a unit of Chicago-based
Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading competitive
energy provider, with approximately 10 million customers. ComEd
provides service to approximately 3.9 million customers across
northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For
more information visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on
Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
About ELPC
The Environmental Law & Policy Center is the Midwest’s
leading public interest environmental legal advocacy and
eco-business innovation organization. We develop and lead
successful strategic advocacy campaigns to improve environmental
quality and protect our natural resources. We are public interest
environmental entrepreneurs who engage in creative business deal
making with diverse interests to put into practice our belief that
environmental progress and economic development can be achieved
together.
About Citizens Utility Board
Created by the Illinois Legislature, CUB opened its doors in
1984 to represent the interests of residential and small-business
utility customers. Since then, the nonprofit utility watchdog group
has saved consumers more than $20 billion by helping to block rate
hikes and secure refunds. For more details, call CUB’s Consumer
Hotline, 1-800-669-5556, or visit CUB’s award-winning
website, www.CitizensUtilityBoard.org.
About ecobee
ecobee Inc. introduced the world’s first smart wi-fi smart
thermostat to help millions of customers save money, conserve
energy and seamlessly bring home automation into their lives. The
company’s first flagship consumer device – ecobee3 – introduced
pioneering room sensor technology to deliver comfort in the rooms
that matter most, leading it to become a top-selling smart
thermostat on the market and achieve a No. 1 ranking on Navigant’s
Smart Thermostat Leaderboard. Learn more about ecobee and its smart
home technologies at www.ecobee.com.
About Nest
Nest’s mission is to create a home that’s thoughtful - one that
takes care of the people inside it and the world around it. The
company focuses on simple, beautiful and delightful hardware,
software and services. The Nest Learning Thermostat™ and Nest
Energy Services keep you comfortable and address home energy
consumption. The Nest Protect™ smoke and carbon monoxide alarm
helps keep you safe and Nest Safety Rewards lets you save money
through participating home insurance providers, while Nest Cam™
keeps an eye on what matters most inside and outside your home. For
more information, visit www.nest.com.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170725006368/en/
ComEdAnnette Martinez, 312-618-8704orCUBJim Chilsen,
312-513-1784orELPCDavid Jakubiak, 708-299-7733
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