What incentives are available and how are they earned?

Community Power offers incentives for approved smart thermostats and connected heat pump water heaters that remain enrolled and participate. Smart Thermostats Enrollment incentive: $50 per approved smart thermostat, issued after successful enrollment. Participation incentive: Up to $25 per thermostat each year for continued participation in Smart Flex Events. Participation incentives are typically issued once per year. Connected Water Heaters Enrollment incentive: $50 per approved connected water heater, issued after successful enrollment. Participation incentive: $5 per month, up to $60 per year, for continued participation. Participation incentives are issued twice per year, typically in June and November. If you unenroll from Smart Home Flex, you will no longer be eligible for ongoing participation incentives. Please note: For connected water heaters that require a Universal Communication Module (UCM), incentives are issued only after Community Power confirms the UCM is installed and successfully connected.

Smart Home Flex

Enroll smart thermostats and connected water heaters to earn rewards and reduce energy use during hours of high demand.

Use Your Smart Devices to Offset Your Energy Use

Smart Home Flex is a pilot program that allows Community Power to temporarily adjust the settings of enrolled smart device(s), like thermostats or connected water heaters, to reduce energy use during times of high energy demand, when electricity costs are higher. These adjustments reduce strain on the energy grid and can help lower your energy bill while keeping your home comfortable and supplied with hot water.

You are always in control of your comfort and can override the automatic adjustments at any time.

Connected water heater enrollment is now open.

Smarter Devices. Stronger Grid.

Whether you are enrolling a smart thermostat or connected water heater, Smart Home Flex offers:

Upfront rewards: Get a $50 incentive for each approved smart device you enroll.

Ongoing savings: Earn participation incentives for allowing your smart devices to adjust during Smart Flex Events when energy is most expensive.

Comfort and control: You can always override your smart device settings during Smart Flex Events if needed.

Stronger energy grid: Reduce energy use during hours of high demand and help make electricity more reliable for everyone.

Cleaner communities: Use less energy from the grid when it relies most on fossil fuels, reducing air pollution and supporting a clean energy future.

Smart Thermostat Incentives

Receive $50 for each approved smart thermostat you enroll and up to $25 each year for participating in Smart Flex Events. If you unenroll, you will no longer be eligible for participation incentives.

Device Type	Upfront Incentive	Participation Incentive
Smart Thermostat	$50	Up to $25 annually

Connected Water Heater Incentives

Receive $50 for each approved connected water heater you enroll and up to $60 per year for participating. Incentives are earned monthly (up to $5 a month) and paid out twice a year. If you unenroll, you will no longer be eligible for ongoing participation incentives.

Device Type	Upfront Incentive	Participation Incentive
Connected Water Heater	$50	Up to $60 annually

Eligibility

To enroll in Smart Home Flex, eligible participants must meet the following criteria:

Be a Community Power residential customer
Own an eligible smart device (see approved models below)
Smart device(s) must be installed in the customer’s home
Smart thermostat(s) must be connected to the internet
Smart thermostat(s) must directly control an operational air-conditioning unit or syste
Connected heat pump water heater(s) must be an eligible model installed as part of the TECH Clean CA program
Connected heat pump water heater(s) must be connected to the internet via Wi-Fi or a communication device (CTA-2045 [EcoPort™] compatible)
Connected heat pump water heater(s) must have a thermostatic mixing valve installed
Cannot simultaneously be participating (or enrolled) in any other demand response programs such as the emergency load relief program (ELRP) or demand side grid support (DSGS) programs

Eligible Smart Thermostat Models

ecobee

Google Nest

Device Name	Model Number	Device Name	Model Number
ecobee3 Lite	EB-STATE3LT
ecobee4	EB-STATE4
Smart Thermostat with Voice Control	EB-STATE5	Google Nest Learning Thermostat 3rd Gen	T3007ES T3016US T3017US T3018US T3019US T3021US T3032US T3008US
ecobee3	EB-STATE3	Google Nest Learning Thermostat 4th Gen	GA05169-US GA05560-US GA05171-US GA05551-US
ecobee Smart Thermostat Premium	EB-STATE6-01	Google Nest Thermostat	T4000ES T4001ES T4008ES
Smart Thermostat with Voice Control	EB-STATE6L-01	Google Nest Thermostat	GA02081-US GA02082-US GA02083-US GA01334-US GA02180-US GA03000-US

*Enrollment for smart thermostats is closed at this time.

Eligible Connected Water Heater Models

View TECH eligible water heaters Wi-Fi-connected water heaters: Rheem Hybrid Heat Pump Water Heaters

For all other brands/makes, a communication device will be provided late-summer/early fall that plugs into the water heaters EcoPort (CTA-2045 port).

Enrollment is currently only open to heat pump water heaters installed as part of the TECH Clean CA heat pump water heater program.

Please note that GE water heaters are not eligible at this time.

How It Works

When you enroll in Smart Home Flex, your smart device(s) will automatically adjust its system settings when a Smart Flex Event is called.
A Smart Flex Event occurs when high energy use is expected to put a strain on energy resources and increase electricity costs.
When a Smart Flex Event is called, your smart device(s) receive a signal to temporarily adjust their settings to help prevent your system from turning on and using energy.
Learn more below about how each technology type currently eligible for Smart Home Flex reduces or shifts energy usage.

During the summer when electricity demand is high, Community Power may call a Smart Flex Event. When this happens, your thermostat will receive a signal to temporarily adjust its temperature settings to reduce turning on your air conditioning system.
To keep your home more comfortable during a Smart Flex Event, your thermostat may receive a signal to pre-cool your home up to an hour before an Event begins.
Smart Flex Events for thermostats may occur from June through October, between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. up to five times per week. You’ll receive a notification when a Smart Flex Event is scheduled.
Smart Flex Events will not occur on weekends and federal holidays unless state officials call a Flex Alert or other critical grid event. No more than 20 events will be scheduled per season.

Throughout the year, your connected heat pump water heater will receive a signal twice a day – typically in the morning and evenings – to heat water above its standard temperature. This is called superheating or advance load up.
This process helps shift energy usage to times when energy is less in demand and more affordable while ensuring you have hot water when you need it.
For safety purposes, a thermostatic mixing valve must be professionally installed on your water heater. This valve mixes cold water with superheated water to ensure the water temperature at your faucet is at a safe temperature for you and your family.

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to our most frequently asked questions are below. View all questions.

Several programs encourage customers to temporarily adjust or reduce electricity use during times of high demand. Smart Home Flex is one of these programs, but it has specific eligibility criteria depending on the type of device you want to enroll.

For smart thermostats: If your smart thermostat is currently enrolled in another demand response program, it must be unenrolled before participating in Smart Home Flex. Smart thermostats cannot be enrolled in more than one demand response program at the same time. Contact your current program provider to unenroll before signing up.

For heat pump water heaters: Smart Home Flex works differently and is coordinated with the TECH Clean California statewide initiative.

TECH Clean California requires enrollment in both a demand response program and a water heater rewards program. In Community Power service territory:

OhmConnect is currently the approved residential demand response program

Smart Home Flex is currently the approved water heater rewards program

If you are participating in TECH Clean California, you must enroll in OhmConnect for demand response and Smart Home Flex for the water heater rewards program.

Please note: Do not connect your water heater to OhmConnect. Doing so will make your water heater ineligible for Smart Home Flex enrollment.

By enrolling an eligible smart thermostat, you allow Community Power to temporarily adjust its temperature settings during a Smart Flex Event, when electricity demand is high.

During these events, your thermostat receives a signal to reduce the use of your air-conditioning system when energy is most expensive. To help maintain comfort, Community Power may signal your thermostat to pre-cool your home up to one hour before the event begins.

You are always in control and may override your thermostat at any time. Please note that frequent overrides may affect eligibility for participation incentives.

Year-round, your connected heat pump water heater is adjusted twice a day, typically in the morning and evenings, to heat water above its standard temperature. This is called superheating or advance load up.

This process adjusts the settings of your water heater to use less energy during times when demand and prices are high, while ensuring you have hot water when you need it.

For safety purposes, a thermostatic mixing valve must be professionally installed on your water heater. This valve mixes cold water with superheated water, keeping faucet temperatures safe for you and your family.

Yes, you can opt out of a Smart Flex Event at any time. Since Smart Flex Events are called when electricity demand and costs are high, we encourage you not to opt out unless it’s for comfort, safety, or urgent reasons. Opting out too many times in the season may jeopardize your participation incentive.

Community Power offers incentives for approved smart thermostats and connected heat pump water heaters that remain enrolled and participate.

Smart Thermostats

Enrollment incentive: $50 per approved smart thermostat, issued after successful enrollment.

Participation incentive: Up to $25 per thermostat each year for continued participation in Smart Flex Events. Participation incentives are typically issued once per year.

Connected Water Heaters

Enrollment incentive: $50 per approved connected water heater, issued after successful enrollment.

Participation incentive: $5 per month, up to $60 per year, for continued participation. Participation incentives are issued twice per year, typically in June and November.

If you unenroll from Smart Home Flex, you will no longer be eligible for ongoing participation incentives.

Please note: For connected water heaters that require a Universal Communication Module (UCM), incentives are issued only after Community Power confirms the UCM is installed and successfully connected.

Contact Community Power by emailing us at SmartHomeFlex@SDCommunityPower.org or calling our Contact Center at 888-382-0169 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Smart Home Flex by San Diego Community Power is a pilot program that allows Community Power to adjust the settings of your enrolled smart device(s), like thermostats or connected water heaters, to reduce energy use during times of the day when energy is in high demand and electricity costs are higher.

These adjustments reduce strain on the energy grid and can help lower your energy bill while keeping your home comfortable and supplied with hot water.

Terms & Conditions

View the full program terms and conditions.