Who is eligible to participate in Smart Energy Rewards?

Smart Energy Rewards is available to Community Power residential customers with an eligible smart thermostat or heat pump water heater. Applicants must be the account holder or an authorized user. Smart Thermostats must: Be connected to air conditioning. Be on the list of eligible models. Not be enrolled in another demand response program, such as the Emergency Load Relief Program or Demand Side Grid Support. Heat pump water heaters must: Be new and in the process of being installed through TECH Clean California at their service address. Have a thermostatic mixing valve. Customers who previously opted out of Community Power must first return to Community Power before applying. Customers who opted out 60 or more days after their original Community Power start date may be unable to immediately return.

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 smart thermostat, issued after successful enrollment and connection to Community Power. Participation incentive: $25 per thermostat each year for continued participation in Smart Flex Events. Participation incentives are typically issued annually in November. Heat Pump Water Heaters Enrollment incentive: $50 per connected water heater, issued after successful enrollment and connection to Community Power. Participation incentive: $5 per month, up to $60 per year, for continued participation. Participation incentives are issued twice a year, typically in July and November. If you unenroll from Smart Energy Rewards, you will no longer be eligible for ongoing participation incentives.

Smart Energy Rewards

Enroll smart thermostats and heat pump water heaters to automatically reduce energy use and earn rewards.

Use Your Smart Devices to Adjust Your Energy Use

Smart Energy Rewards is a pilot program that allows Community Power to temporarily adjust the settings of enrolled thermostats or heat pump 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 may help lower your energy bill.

Your home stays comfortable and supplied with hot water, and you can override the automatic adjustments at any time.

Smarter Devices. Stronger Grid.

Smart Energy Rewards offers:

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

Ongoing rewards: Earn participation incentives for allowing Community Power to adjust your smart devices during Smart Flex Events.

Comfort and control: You can always override your smart device settings during Smart Flex Events if needed, but it may impact your participation incentive.

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

Cleaner communities: Use less energy when it relies most on fossil fuels, reducing air pollution.

Smart Thermostat Incentives

Receive $50 for each approved smart thermostat (up to three) you enroll and $25 per 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 three)	Up to $25 annually

Heat Pump Water Heater Incentives

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

Device Type	Upfront Incentive	Participation Incentive
Heat Pump Water Heater	$50 (up to three)	Up to $60 annually

Eligibility

To enroll in Smart Energy Rewards, you must:

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
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) program
Smart thermostats:
Remain connected to the internet
Directly control an operational air-conditioning unit or system
Heat pump water heaters
Remain plugged in and connected to the internet via Wi-Fi or a communication device (CTA-2045 [EcoPort]) provided by Community Power
Have a thermostatic mixing valve installed

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

Eligible Heat Pump Water Heater Models

Smart Energy Rewards is available for heat pump water heaters installed as part of TECH Clean CA heat pumps. View all eligible water heaters here, except for GE models, which are ineligible.

Community Power will provide a communication device that you must install in your water heater’s EcoPort (CTA-2045 port) unless you have a Rheem water heater connected to Wi-Fi. The communication device must remain installed to earn your participation incentive.

How It Works

Community Power monitors forecasted energy demand based on factors like weather and resource availability. When demand is expected to be abnormally high, a Smart Flex Event is called.

Learn more below about how each eligible device type reduces or shifts energy use.

During a Smart Flex Event your thermostat will temporarily adjust its temperature by a few degrees warmer, so your air conditioning runs less often. To keep your home more comfortable during a Smart Flex Event, your thermostat may receive a signal to precool 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 and no more than 20 times annually. 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. Smart Heat Pump Water Heaters

Twice a day, your connected heat pump water heater will receive a signal–typically in the morning and evenings–to heat water above its standard temperature. This is called superheating.

This process helps shift energy use to times when energy is less in demand and more affordable while ensuring you have hot water when you need it.

A thermostatic mixing valve is required on your water heater to mix cold water with superheated water. This ensures the water temperature at your faucet is safe for you and your family.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Smart Energy Rewards is how Community Power customers can temporarily reduce or shift electricity use when demand is high. While there are several programs that do this, Smart Energy Rewards is only for Community Power customers. Participants may only be enrolled in one demand response program.

For smart thermostats: During warmer days, Community Power may adjust the thermostat to precool the home before a Smart Flex Event begins.

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

If you’re installing a new heat pump water heater through TECH Clean California, you are required to enroll in a water heater rewards program, like Smart Energy Rewards, and a demand response program like OhmConnect.

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, and the grid is under strain.

Smart Flex Events can be called between June 1 and October 31 for up to four hours between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. Up to five events can be called per week. Smart Flex Events will not be called during weekends or Federal holidays unless State officials declare a grid emergency.

During these events, your thermostat receives a signal to raise the temperature and reduce the use of your air conditioning. Depending on the weather, Community Power may signal your thermostat to precool your home up to one hour before the event begins.

You always keep control of your thermostat, but frequent overrides may affect eligibility for participation incentives.

Smart Energy Rewards is available to Community Power residential customers with an eligible smart thermostat or heat pump water heater. Applicants must be the account holder or an authorized user.

Smart Thermostats must:

Be connected to air conditioning.
Be on the list of eligible models.
Not be enrolled in another demand response program, such as the Emergency Load Relief Program or Demand Side Grid Support.

Heat pump water heaters must:

Be new and in the process of being installed through TECH Clean California at their service address.
Have a thermostatic mixing valve.

Customers who previously opted out of Community Power must first return to Community Power before applying. Customers who opted out 60 or more days after their original Community Power start date may be unable to immediately return.

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. Opting out too many times 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 smart thermostat, issued after successful enrollment and connection to Community Power.
Participation incentive: $25 per thermostat each year for continued participation in Smart Flex Events. Participation incentives are typically issued annually in November.

Heat Pump Water Heaters

Enrollment incentive: $50 per connected water heater, issued after successful enrollment and connection to Community Power.
Participation incentive: $5 per month, up to $60 per year, for continued participation. Participation incentives are issued twice a year, typically in July and November.

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

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

Smart Energy Rewards by San Diego Community Power is a pilot program that allows Community Power to adjust the settings of smart thermostats or connected water heaters to reduce energy use when energy demand is high.

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

Terms & Conditions

View the full program terms and conditions.