Energy Efficiency is not this hard!

Recently I found this 30 second commercial about energy conservation. A family trying to eat their dinner every time a car passes and the headlights shine enough light in the room so they can see.

People think energy efficiency is hard. It’s not, it’s all about knowing how much is the correct amont for them. Lowfoot can help with that, we set an energy budget for you and if you meet it you get rewarded.

Recent blogs from actual users of Lowfoot have made it clear it works. Here’s one by the Director of the United Way of Grey-Bruce in Ontario where Lowfoot becomes an unlikely partner and helps reduce use by 50%! Another one by the Green Party of Ontario Leader where he claims to reduce his hydro use by 40%.

Lowfoot works because we provide very simple information each day and that makes people aware and they reduce.

No one likes to waste anything, but not-wasting is not difficult, just takes information and willingness to change and minor action here and there. Energy Efficiency is not as hard as the commercial above, it’s easy!

Steve Hammond
Co-Founder
Lowfoot.com

Three Fun Energy Efficiency Cartoons

It’s Sparkleman! He comes through your TV and changes your old energy wasting lightbulbs!

This penguin learns that CFL bulbs are the way to go, but other than the fish, what’s in it for the penguin?

And last but not least, if it were only this easy to get people to change their ways…..

WorkCabin.ca – Sponsors of Lowfoot Credits for October 2011

We are very pleased to annouce that WorkCabin.ca has purchased the Lowfoot credits for October 2011. More about WorkCabin:

WorkCabin.ca is an online talent acquisition service launched in 2007. We are based in the forested heart of Canada’s ecologically-rich Carolinian Zone and are genuinely connected to the environment, HR, and conservation. We are boots-on-the-ground forest owners and conservationists. (Yes, we believe that does matter if you operate an environmental jobs site)

MISSION STATEMENT
As Canada’s premiere and respected environmental jobs site, WorkCabin’s mission is to be the leading, effective, targeted and affordable resource that connects eager, qualified and skilled green-focused job seekers to high-quality internships and career-track environmental employment, including entry level, mid level and senior level, and to respected employers who embrace sustainability and stewardship.

Find out more about WorkCabin.ca here:

Website: http://workcabin.ca
Twitter: http://twitter.com/workcabin
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WorkCabin
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/workcabincanada
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/workcabin

How to register with Hydro Ottawa to see your smart meter data

* Lowfoot Inc. has no formal relationship with Hydro Ottawa. Hydro Ottawa does not endorse Lowfoot Inc.. Lowfoot Inc. acts on behalf of its members, in accordance with our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Membership Agreement, independent of Hydro Ottawa.

If you have a Hydro Ottawa smart meter and would like to register to see your electricity usage data online (you must do this if you want to connect your usage data to your Lowfoot account), Here are the steps to do this if you are not already signed up to see your data online with Hydro Ottawa:

What you will need before starting:

1. A Copy of your last bill from Hydro Ottawa

2. When you are ready go to Hydro Ottawa’s sign up page.

2. Fill in the information requested

Now add your meter to Lowfoot. Sign in to your Lowfoot Account by going here . If you don’t yet have a Lowfoot account, take a few minutes and sign up in one step here.

Once you are logged into your Lowfoot account

Click on “My Meters”

Choose “Hydro Ottawa” from the drop down box

Enter the username you used for Hydro Ottawa where it says, “Utility Username:”

Enter the password you used for the Hydro Ottawa log in and we will store it securely.

Follow the remaining steps. If successful you have now connected your meter data to Lowfoot.

If you have any questions please feel free to email us at member.services@lowfoot.com and we’ll help you out.

Lowfoot – Now Available in Texas

Lowfoot Inc. is pleased to announce the availability of its unique electricity conservation program to all customers in the Texas who have access to their smart meter data. This includes almost 2 million Oncor consumers, almost 1.5 million CenterPoint Energy consumers and over 350,000 AEP Texas consumers. Texans living in these territories can now enjoy the benefits of being paid to conserve while getting the most out of their smart meter.*

Saddle Up!

Lowfoot has been active participant in Smart Meter Texas’ Advanced Metering Implementation Team Stakeholder Meetings and we want to do our part to help spread the word about the availability of smart meter data in Texas.

Paying People to Conserve

Lowfoot members in Texas can now look forward to receiving monthly PayPal™ payments if they successfully reduce their electricity consumption. Lowfoot has been distributing payments for 12 months in Ontario, Canada, has recently launched in California and the concept is beginning to take off. Backstopping the reward program is the idea of creating a community of conservers using Lowfoot’s patent pending technology and leveraging social media. Lowfoot members can share their daily updates with their friends on Twitter or on Facebook.

Aside from getting the benefit of earning cash to conserve, most Lowfoot members also see a reduction in their energy bill. For people living paycheck-to-paycheck lowering their electricity bill can make a big difference to their monthly finances.

Quick Facts About Lowfoot:

How much does Lowfoot Cost? Lowfoot is absolutely free to use.

 How Does Lowfoot Make Money? Lowfoot sells advertising by pre-selling Lowfoot Credits to cover the cost of the coming month’s reductions. The purchasers of Lowfoot Credit’s receive premium-advertising placements in daily notifications, and in the Lowfoot, Facebook™ and Twitter™ feeds. Lowfoot also sells advertising on its main web site.

Why does Lowfoot Pay more for reductions in Peak Periods? Lowfoot is focused on having our members getting the biggest bang for their buck. Reducing usage during a utility district’s peak usage periods represents a high value reduction for the utility. Eventually Lowfoot will participate in demand response programs. Having a ready pool of electricity reduction available will help achieve this goal.

Is Lowfoot Legal? In the United States and Canada it has been clarified that the data from the smart meter belongs to the consumer or, at the very least, the consumer has the right to access the data from the smart meter. Lowfoot members assign Lowfoot as their agents to access their smart meter data.

* Lowfoot Inc. has no formal relationship with Smart Meter Texas, Oncor Energy, CentrePoint Energy or AEP Texas. Smart Meter Texas, Oncor Energy, CentrePoint Energy or AEP Texas do not endorse Lowfoot Inc. Lowfoot Inc. acts on behalf of its members, in accordance with our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Membership Agreement, independent of Smart Meter Texas, Oncor Energy, CentrePoint Energy and AEP Texas.

Click here for more information.

Lowfoot Rewards Program – Effective October 1, 2011

The Lowfoot concept is simple. Join. Conserve. Tell Friends. Get rewarded.

Lowfoot is a different type of company. We empower our members to conserve energy and water, save money and we reward our members when they do so. Our focus is maximizing the benefit of our members’ reductions and passing that benefit on to them. In the early stages of Lowfoot’s growth we are reliant on word of mouth to acquire members. We have made a deliberate decision not to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on marketing and advertising. Rather we have opted to continue to pay our members to reduce and conserve. In return we ask our members to be our advocates to promote Lowfoot to their friends and social networks. As such from June 1st in order to earn rewards and get paid for conservation on Lowfoot you must meet the following requirements:

1. You must agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
2. Have a valid meter connected to Lowfoot and you must agree to our Membership Agreement. You can view our Membership Agreement before you activate your meter.
3. You must have verified your email address you signed up to Lowfoot with. (How do I do this?)
4. You must meet your targets we set out for you.

And one of the two following options must be met:

5. You must share your daily, weekly or monthly usage reports to your Twitter or Facebook account. (How do I do this?) OR
6. You must invite a minimum of 2 people in the month you earned credits. (How do I do this?)

* If you qualify you are only paid for the month you earned in, your total Lowfoot credits reflect the total you have earned since joining Lowfoot. Your total Lowfoot Credits includes those you qualified to get paid for and those you didn’t. There will be no retroactive payment of credits for months you did not qualify. We send fair warning 3-4 days before processing statements about whether your qualify or not.

Why do we have the requirement to invite or share your usage reports?

Lowfoot is determined to grow organically and socially and we believe that investing in our members conservation efforts will pay off in the long run. But in order to maximize Lowfoot’s potential we need our current members to help us acquire new ones by. We think this is a small thing to ask from our members in order to spread the word about Lowfoot to their friends.

What if I don’t use Twitter or Facebook?

You can help Lowfoot by inviting two friends using the invitation service on Lowfoot. Inviting two friends a month will help spread the word about Lowfoot. Remember, your friends don’t have to join you just simply need to invite them.

Why doesn’t Lowfoot Advertise to gain members?

Besides being expensive, advertising is difficult to target at the right audience. Our view is that many of your friends and acquaintances will share similar views and interests that attracted you to Lowfoot and would therefore be more likely to become an active Lowfoot member.

Our payment calculations:

All members who reduce their electricity consumption effective June 1, 2011, to below or equal to their Lowfoot target, which is 10% below their baseline, will receive a cash payment based on the following price schedule (all figures in Canadian Funds):

Consumption = $0.005 a kilowatt hour
OnPeak Demand = $0.80 a kilowatt
MidPeak Demand = $0.40 a kilowatt
Carbon Reduction Credit = $6 a metric tonne

Lowfoot uses the following to calculate carbon emissions in Ontario: 1,000 KWH generated produces 0.22 metric tonnes of carbon emissions.

All payments to members who achieve their goals will be distributed via PayPal Send Money during the second week after the end of the month after we audit the results to ensure accuracy.

Lastly, this is an experiment. Lowfoot, Inc. will be funding these rewards directly. On the first day of each month we will announce the prices and other conditions (if any) that we add from what we learn in the previous month.

If you want to join Lowfoot and participate in this great experiment go here and sign-up: Lowfoot Signup

Rewarding someone for doing something right. Empowering people to make a change. That’s what Lowfoot is about.

Best regards,

Philip Playfair                                           Steve Hammond
Co-Founder                                               Co-Founder

Peterborough Utilities Group Selects Lowfoot Inc.

Lowfoot Inc. is pleased to announce that Peterborough Utilities Group has selected Lowfoot to provide their smart meter data access portal for its customers.

“We are very excited that Peterborough has chosen to use our patent pending technology,” said Co-Founder and CEO Steve Hammond. “Lowfoot has been operational for a year in a number of different communities in Ontario as well as California and Texas.  Peterborough will give us the opportunity to focus on one specific community and use our whole range of engagement tools.”

Peterborough will use Lowfoot primarily as a tool for its customers to review their smart meter data but the whole suite of conservation and social media tools will also be available for customers to use. “Using Lowfoot was a no brainer”, said David Whitehouse Director of Customer and Corporate Services. “The web portal has an easy to use interface and it will allow our customers to see the benefits from their smart meter right away and derive value from the smart meter investment. Best of all, the service is free – free to the customer and free to Peterborough Utilities Group.”

Lowfoot generates revenue from advertising and is able to provide its software at no cost to the utility. “Peterborough gives us a great opportunity to see the potential to help people use their smart meters and learn to conserve,” stated Lowfoot Co-Founder Philip Playfair. “We also think Lowfoot can help Peterborough maximize its Ontario Power Authority conservation programs.”

Peterborough electricity customers should have access to their smart meter data by mid to late October.

About Peterborough Utilities Group:

For almost 90 years, Peterborough residents have been relying on Peterborough Utilities for their water and electricity needs.  Until the Ontario Government opened the electricity market to competition in 2000 the Peterborough Utilities Commission, the predecessor to the Peterborough Utilities Group (PUG), provided the electricity and water services for the City of Peterborough.  Since then the PUG has expanded dramatically.  PUG today also develops and operates electricity generation, telecom services, energy equipment rentals, and commercial metering services both in Peterborough and other areas of the Province.  It now has also expanded electricity and water services to a number of areas outside the City of Peterborough.

About Lowfoot Inc.

Lowfoot Inc. is a privately held company that is focused on developing systems and tools to help consumers and utilities maximize the benefits of smart meters and smart grid technology. If you would like more information about Lowfoot or would like to arrange a demonstration of Lowfoot’s technology please contact: press@lowfoot.com.

How to register to see your smart meter data with Horizon Utilities

* Lowfoot Inc. has no formal relationship with Horizon Utilities. Horizon Utilities does not endorse Lowfoot Inc.. Lowfoot Inc. acts on behalf of its members, in accordance with our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Membership Agreement, independent of Horizon Utilities.

If you have a Horizon Utilities’ smart meter and would like to register to see your electricity usage data online (you must do this if you want to connect your usage data to your Lowfoot account), Here are the steps to do this if you are not already signed up to see your data online with Horizon Utilities:

What you will need before starting:

1. A Copy of your last bill from Horizon Utilities

2. When you are ready go to Horizon Utilities’ sign up page.

3. Fill in the information requested, including your Account number (with dashes) and your name (exactly as it appears on your bill)

5. You will have to wait for Horizon Utilities to mail you your password. Once you receive this continue.

Now add your meter to Lowfoot. Sign in to your Lowfoot Account by going here . If you don’t yet have a Lowfoot account, take a few minutes and sign up in one step here.

Once you are logged into your Lowfoot account

Click on “My Meters”

Choose “Horizon Utilities” from the drop down box

Enter the username you used for Horizon Utilities where it says, “Utility Username:”

Enter the password you used for the Horizon Utilities log in and we will store it securely.

Follow the remaining steps. If successful you have now connected your meter data to Lowfoot.

If you have any questions please feel free to email us at member.services@lowfoot.com and we’ll help you out.

Lowfoot – Now Available in California

Lowfoot Inc. is pleased to announce the availability of its unique electricity conservation program to all customers in the Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E)* territory. Northern Californians can now enjoy the benefits of being paid to conserve while getting the most out of their smart meter.

Paying People to Conserve

Customers of PG&E can look forward to receiving monthly PayPal™ payments if they successfully reduce their electricity consumption. Lowfoot has been distributing payments for 12 months in Ontario, Canada and the concept is beginning to take off. Backstopping the reward program is the idea of creating a community of conservers using Lowfoot’s patent pending technology and leveraging social media. Lowfoot members can share their daily updates with their friends on Twitter or on Facebook.

The Double Benefit

Aside from getting the benefit of earning cash to conserve, most Lowfoot members also see a reduction in their energy bill. This can make a nice change from bills that seem to always be going up.

Quick Facts About Lowfoot:

How much does Lowfoot Cost? Lowfoot is absolutely free to use.

How Does Lowfoot Make Money? Lowfoot sells advertising by pre-selling Lowfoot Credits to cover the cost of the coming month’s reductions. The purchasers of Lowfoot Credit’s receive premium-advertising placements in daily notifications, and in the Lowfoot, Facebook™ and Twitter™ feeds. Lowfoot also sells advertising on its main web site.

Why does Lowfoot Pay more for reductions in Peak Periods? Lowfoot is focused on having our members getting the biggest bang for their buck. Reducing usage during a utility district’s peak usage periods represents a high value reduction for the utility. Eventually Lowfoot will participate in demand response programs. Having a ready pool of electricity reduction available will help achieve this goal.

Is Lowfoot Legal? In the United States and Canada it has been clarified that the data from the smart meter belongs to the consumer or, at the very least, the consumer has the right to access the data from the smart meter. Lowfoot members assign Lowfoot as their agents to access their smart meter data.

How do I get access to my PG&E smart meter data? Click here to find out how to register to see your PG&E smart meter readings.

How do I join Lowfoot? Click here to find out about joining Lowfoot.

* Lowfoot Inc. has no formal relationship with PG&E. PG&E does not endorse Lowfoot Inc. Lowfoot Inc. acts on behalf of its members, in accordance with our Terms of Use, Privacy Policy and Membership Agreement, independent of PG&E.

Baker & McKenzie Purchase September’s Lowfoot Credits

Lowfoot is pleased to announce Baker & McKenzie as the purchaser of September’s Lowfoot Credits.

Baker & McKenzie – A Truly Global Law Firm

Baker & McKenzie defined the global law firm in the 20th century and bring a distinctly global perspective and deep market knowledge and insights of more than 3,750 locally admitted lawyers in 69 offices worldwide.

Since 1949, Baker McKenzie has advised leading corporations on the issues of today’s integrated world market. They have cultivated the culture, commercial pragmatism and technical and interpersonal skills required to deliver world-class service tailored to the preferences of world-class clients worldwide.

Jonathan Cocker

Jonathan Cocker, who negotiated the purchase of the Lowfoot credits, is a partner at Baker & McKenzie and is based in Toronto. Jonathan heads the Canadian Office’s Environment & Environmental Markets Practice Group. He authored the Global Climate Change Law Guide, and has worked with the Management Board Secretariat of the Government of Ontario. Jonathan has represented a wide range of clients before various administrative boards, the Superior Court of Justice and the Federal Court of Canada, among others.

Helping Companies Like Lowfoot

Jonathan’s practice is international in scope. He handles legal matters relating to environmental compliance and project development, including UNFCC-related Clean Development Mechanism projects, greenfields and brownfields transactions. Jonathan’s practice also covers permitting and approvals work for clean energy projects. He is knowledgeable in related regulatory fields, including hazardous waste obligations and the requirements for the transportation of dangerous goods. In short, he helps companies like Lowfoot expand their global reach and find markets for their products and services.

To thank Baker & McKenzie for purchasing Lowfoot Credits please connect to their Facebook page.

Click to contact Jonathan Cocker.

Baker & McKenzie Offices in regions where Lowfoot is available:

Ontario:
Baker & McKenzie Canada

Texas:
Baker & McKenzie Dallas
Baker & McKenzie Houston

California:
Baker & McKenzie Palo Alto
Baker & McKenzie San Diego
Baker & McKenzie San Francisco