Nest's Incentive Programs Significantly Cut Peak Energy Use

Last spring, Nest Labs rolled out “Rush Hour Rewards,” offering owners of its smart thermostat rebates of $20 to $60 for cutting back their air conditioning use. And it turns out it worked.

On Thursday, the Palo Alto, Calif., company, which Google acquired earlier this year, will announce that during the summer of 2013 the program cut energy use by 55 percent on average during peak times. A related initiative that allows the thermostat to make adjustments on its own, known as Seasonal Savings, reduced overall air conditioning running time by nearly five percent.

“In just one year, Nest energy services have achieved significant savings — and we’ve managed to do this without compromising customer comfort,” said Tony Fadell, the company’s founder and chief executive, in a statement.

Nest didn’t disclose the total amount of energy the initiatives saved.

Separately, the company unveiled new energy companies partnering with Nest on the programs, including Npower, Columbia Gas, ComEd, CPS Energy and Direct Energy.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

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