Energy Partner Smart Thermostat Program

A smart thermostat at your business is a great way to manage energy costs and stay in control of your comfort. Did you know it can also earn you seasonal rewards?

It’s easy and free to join

If your business uses ducted electric heating and/or air conditioning and has designated Wi-Fi, you can earn seasonal incentives by simply enrolling in PGE’s Energy Partner Smart Thermostat program. All you need is a smart thermostat.

How does the program work?

To help keep power reliable and affordable, your business can enroll in PGE's Energy Partner Smart Thermostat program. By enrolling in the program, you can get a $100 up-front reward and earn up to $60 in rewards per participating site for each season you’re eligible to participate. It’s our way of saying thank you for helping to keep energy more reliable.

Smart tech makes energy shifting simple

During times of peak energy demand, such as exceptionally hot days or cold mornings, PGE will announce a Peak Time Event. With Energy Partner Smart Thermostat, your thermostat will automatically adjust by just a few degrees when the event starts. Once the event ends, your thermostat will go back to its original setting. You might not even notice the change, and the best part – you don’t have to do a thing.

Earn incentives to shift your energy use

As long as you don't override more than 50 percent of a season's Peak Time Event hours, you'll earn $60 per participating site. With this simple shift, you help keep energy more reliable and can earn ongoing rewards.

You’re always in control

Not a good time for your temperature to be adjusted? That’s okay! You’re always in control of your comfort and can override the change.

How do I enroll?

Enrolling your smart thermostat is easy.

If you have a qualified smart thermostat, your business uses ducted electric heating and/or air conditioning and you have Wi-Fi, you can enroll in PGE’s Energy Partner Smart Thermostat program on your smart thermostat app.

Click on your thermostat model below to see how easy it is to enroll:

Energy Partner Smart Thermostat FAQs

To join, you must meet all the following criteria:

  • Be a commercial customer with Portland General Electric. 

  • A ducted electric heating and/or air conditioning system. This means a system that delivers heated or cooled air through ducts. Vents are typically in the ceiling or floor. 

  • An installed Wi-Fi network. This means a Wi-Fi network is installed and always available for you, your customers, or your business partners. A mobile hotspot, for example, isn’t permanent. Such networks are only turned on when the device owner is present.

There are two ways to enroll and participate in the program, Bring Your Own or PGE-provided upgrade.  

If you have a qualified thermostat, you may go through the Bring Your Own enrollment process:  

  • First sign up and agree to participation terms and conditions through the enrollment link matched to your qualifying thermostat brand.   

  • Next we’ll do a bit of validation to confirm you are a PGE commercial customer. 

  • Then we’ll need to collect a bit more data about your thermostats and a W9. 

  • Finally, we’ll complete your enrollment, set you up for seasonal participation, and issue your enrollment reward. Seasonal rewards are issued after each season. 

If you do not have a qualified thermostat, you may go through our PGE-provided thermostat installation upgrade process.  

  • First sign up for a free energy consultation with one of our Energy Experts. 

  • Next we’ll schedule your install, or pass along your information to the scheduling team.   

  • Then we’ll collect your agreement to the participation terms and conditions and W9.  

  • Finally, we’ll complete the thermostat installation, enrollment, and set you up for seasonal participation. Seasonal rewards are issued after each season.  

If you are unsure if you qualify to participate, sign up for a free consultation with one of our Energy Experts or email us to get started.  

To qualify, you’ll need a qualified thermostat and a permanently installed Wi-Fi network. Sign up for a free energy consultation with one of our energy experts to get your qualified thermostat installed. Or you can email us at energypartnerthermostat@pgn.com to schedule an installation.

Commercial building heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are different than residential. Some of the differences are with the mechanical system set up and code requirements.  Commercial spaces have additional ventilation requirements and there may be multiple HVAC systems with complicated set ups (i.e., dampers, sensors, zones). Commercial thermostats are best suited to support commercial HVAC systems and requirements. 

Yes! If you rent or lease, you can join the program. We recommend checking in with your building ownership if you have additional questions.

None of the qualified thermostats for this program can integrate into these types of building systems.  If you have one of these building systems, contact us to determine eligibility for the Energy Partner On Demand program or other PGE program.

Yes! Honeywell, Pelican and ecobee thermostats have online portals that can be accessed from any computer, smart phone, tablet, or other smart device. In these portals you can view all connected thermostats in one location, change temperatures, update schedules, view performance history, and more. There may be a subscription fee to access additional features of the portal. While Pelican does not have an app, Honeywell and ecobee have smartphone apps.

You can reach your thermostat manufacturer’s customer service team at these numbers: 

If you are participating with a PGE-provided and installed thermostat, we may be able to provide a service call to help determine if there’s an issue with the thermostat or your HVAC system. Call us at 503-205-4427 to schedule a service call.  

If you are participating through Bring Your Own Thermostat, please contact your preferred HVAC technician.  

In all cases, we recommend contacting your preferred HVAC technician for additional HVAC system troubleshooting and contacting the thermostat manufacturer for thermostat troubleshooting.

Please contact us at energypartnerthermostat@pgn.com or give us a call at 503-205-4427 to shift your enrollment to the new location. The new location must meet program qualification and participation requirements.

Please contact us at energypartnerthermostat@pgn.com or give us a call at 503-205-4427 to shift your enrollment to the new location. The new location must meet program qualification and participation requirements. Additional locations must meet program qualification and participation requirements.

We understand this may happen and sincerely appreciate your efforts as a business owner. Please contact us at energypartnerthermostat@pgn.com or give us a call at 503-205-4427 to process your unenrollment from the program.

No problem. Please contact us at energypartnerthermostat@pgn.com or give us a call at 503-205-4427 to process your unenrollment from the program.

Cascade Energy and Evergreen Energy were selected in a competitive process to help PGE install thermostats, complete program enrollments, and administer the Energy Partner Smart Thermostat program through 2027.

On certain days when energy use is high, we will call a Peak Time Event. During the event, your smart, Wi-Fi-enabled thermostat will automatically adjust your HVAC temperature settings by 1 to 4 degrees. This means that during an event, your HVAC system will shift operations and lower its energy use.  Your thermostat will adjust back to your regular setting after the event is over. It’s easy and automatic. When everyone on the program shifts their energy use, it adds up. It lowers costs and keeps providing you with reliable energy. In summer or winter, temperatures are extreme. Demand for electricity rises and strains the grid. Our program is designed to help customers use less energy. This decreases the use of less efficient and more expensive energy sources. That's good for the environment, and it helps keep energy costs low for everyone. 

You may get emails, texts, and see notifications on your thermostat, online portal, or smartphone app depending on your brand of thermostat and how you enrolled. They will come before the Peak Time Events. Notifications on the thermostat and smartphone app will look different. 

Honeywell and ecobee thermostats will adjust and show a message on the display screen indicating a Peak Time Event is in progress. There is also messaging in the online portal and smartphone app.  

Pelican thermostats will adjust but will not show a message on the display screen when a Peak Time Event is in progress.  You can review event participation through the online portal. Pelican does not have a smartphone app. 

It may be helpful to notify employees or building occupants prior to the event to encourage participation. 

There are typically eight to nine Peak Time Events each summer and five to six events each winter. Each event lasts between one and five hours. 

Here are the summer and winter seasons: 

  • Summer season runs June 1 through September 30.  

  • Winter season runs November 1 through February 28th.  

Thermostats will participate in summer events when they control a qualifying AC system. 

Thermostats will participate in winter events when they control a qualifying electric heating system.  

Thermostats will participate in both seasons if you have both qualifying electric cooling and heating systems.  

Yes, you are always in control of your thermostat settings and comfort. The program was created to reduce energy use during peak times. It wasn't made to make you or your customers uncomfortable. 

To earn your program rewards, make sure to participate in at least 50% of the event hours during the event season. 

You’re always in control and can change your thermostat setting at any time. Just adjust your thermostat during the event. Follow the prompts to stop.  

Certain building types, HVAC systems, and occupancy characteristics are better suited to longer event participation than others, but most customers are able to participate for the full event duration. If you or your building occupants are uncomfortable, you can opt out of the remaining event hours at any time simply by changing the thermostat temperature. 

No – your participation is voluntary. However, you need to participate in at least 50% of the season’s event hours to earn rewards.

  • If you enroll a site with a qualifying thermostat, that you already owned (i.e. Bring Your Own Thermostat), you will get a $100 reward per site (after we screen for eligibility). You'll also get a $60 reward per site for each season you participate in 50% or more event hours. 

  • If you need an upgrade to a qualifying thermostat and go through our PGE-provided thermostat installation, you will not get an additional enrollment reward. You will receive a $60 check reward per site for each season you participate in 50% or more event hours. 

We will send seasonal rewards within 60 days of the end of the season. Winter season runs November through February. Participants who qualify for a reward should get a check by the end of April. Summer runs from June through September. Participants who qualify should get their check by the end of November.

We will send Bring Your Own enrollment rewards within 8-12 weeks of successfully completing all enrollment steps.

Rewards are issued in the form of paper check that is mailed to you. 

When everyone shifts their energy use at peak times it adds up to make a big difference. It helps keep energy reliable and supports Oregon's clean energy future. You can reduce energy use. This will stop the need to turn on costlier, less-green resources on very hot or cold days.

What else should I know?

Check out the list of qualifying smart thermostats for more information. Download the Energy Partner Smart Thermostat fact sheet for an overview of the program. Still have questions? Connect with a PGE Energy Expert for a customized energy solution for your business.

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