I recently decided to reassess my monthly budget, and in doing so, I found an awesome online tool that provides “rewards” and other incentives to users to reduce home energy usage. The service works much like mint.com, in that you can connect your online utility bill to your account, and all of your energy usage is securely uploaded into the program. Then, similar to RecycleBank, Earth Aid tracks your performance – in this case, electricity, gas, and water usage – and gives you reward points when you lower your usage year over year.
While the rewards points aren’t redeemable for cash, they can be used to purchase certain goods and services at a discounted rate. Some popular examples include: a live green membership card, which provides discounts to green retailers around the country, one-month’s worth of unlimited yoga, or vouchers for buy-one-get-one-free sandwiches.
Earth Aid provides a guide full of tips and information on how to save money while conserving resources. Some great examples include installing water aerators in faucets to reduce water consumption, utilizing programmable thermostats to save an average of 5-10% per year, and avoiding pumping cold air into an empty home. Even better, the site makes recommended products available, making the decision to purchase the best EnergyStar refrigerator that much easier.
Signing up is quick and easy, but not every utility is currently connected to the site.
Are any Terrapass Footprint readers fans of Earth Aid? We’d love to hear what you think about it, or if there are any other similar options out there!
Brought to you by terrapass.com
Featured image
