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WPCNR COUNTY CLARION LEDGER. From the Westchester County Department of Communications. April 19, 2023:

During Earth Week, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, Sustainable Westchester & Local Municipal Leaders held a press conference to discuss Sustainable Westchester’s GridRewards™ Program and other current initiatives residents can participate in to improve the County’s environmental impact.

Speakers included local leaders driving the charge to lower the region’s carbon footprint, including Jim Kuster, Interim Executive Director of Sustainable Westchester, David Klatt, COO of Logical Buildings and Alex Von Braun, Board Member of 175 Huguenot in New Rochelle, along with Hastings-on-Hudson Mayor, Nicola Armacost.

Latimer said:

“Demand response programs, empower Westchester residents and businesses to take control of their energy usage to earn cash back and reduce pollution. By lowering electricity usage at key times, we can collectively reduce the need for the utility to bring peaker plants. I am proud to partner with Sustainable Westchester to encourage residents to enroll in this program – similar to what your County Government is doing with our buildings.”

The event discussed how residents and businesses can participate in GridRewards™, a platform created by Logical Buildings and promoted through Sustainable Westchester. When high energy demand is forecasted, GridRewards™ provides users the opportunity to earn cash by reducing energy use at peak times. This can be achieved through simple actions including waiting to perform energy-intensive tasks such as running dishwashers, laundry machines and air-conditioning until the demand response event has passed.

Sustainable Westchester Interim Executive Director Jim Kuster said:

“In 2020, Sustainable Westchester launched the first residential demand response program in the County, GridRewards, in partnership with Logical Buildings. This was made possible once ConEd had deployed smart meter infrastructure across its service area. In the subsequent three years, Sustainable Westchester has focused on raising awareness of the benefits of the demand response program to residents and municipalities, and to grid infrastructure and the local environment. As a non-profit, Sustainable Westchester remains dedicated to maximizing the benefits to our municipal members and their residents.”

In honor of Earth month, Mayors from Hastings to Sleepy Hollow have engaged in an annual

competition by urging residents to sign up for GridRewards™ by April 28 to illustrate the

importance of synchronicity when it comes to reducing energy consumption. Last summer, single family homeowners, apartment dwellers and commercial businesses utilized Logical Buildings and Sustainable Westchester’s GridRewards™ program.

Through their participation, these users created a combined load reduction of 7MW, up from an estimated 3.5-4MW in 2021, enough electricity to instantaneously power 25,000 homes. The same program is now available for Westchester residents to participate in for the 2023 peak energy season.

In a similar program, the County partners with NuEnergen to administer a Demand Response program on many Westchester County buildings. On days of peak energy usage in the area, the County powers down certain properties in order to earn real dollars, offsetting both energy use and taxpayer funds.

About GridRewards™

GridRewards™ was developed in 2019 by Logical Buildings, an AI technology solutions leader in sustainability, smart building and virtual power plant software and a solutions provider for the built world.

The firm’s revolutionary technologies combat climate change by empowering residential, commercial, and industrial energy users to earn money, enhance building health and reduce carbon footprints through user-friendly, award-winning mobile apps. GridRewards™ was initially introduced as a digital program in 2019.

It was launched as a free app in spring 2021 and is downloadable via the Apple Store and Google Play.

Logical Buildings, which was founded in 2012 as a smart building technology software developer, IoT and DER systems integrator, and smart building services provider, currently operates in major national urban markets, including New York, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington, D.C., Camden, Chicago, and Miami, and more. To learn more, visit logicalbuildings.com and follow Logical Buildings on LinkedIn.