Mayors from Hastings to Sleepy Hollow engage in friendly competition; encouraging residents to sign up for Sustainable Westchester’s GridRewards to illustrate the importance of synchronicity when it comes to energy reduction. Challenge takes place now through April 28, 2023.

Photo Description: The Rivertowns Mayors are excited to encourage their residents to save money and energy with Sustainable Westchester’s GridRewards. Pictured from Left to Right: Dobbs Ferry Village Administrator, Richard Leins; Elmsford Village Administrator, Michael Mills; Mayor of Elmsford, Robert Williams; Sleepy Hollow Village Administrator, Anthony Giaccio; Mayor of Dobbs Ferry, Vincent Rossillo; Irvington Village Administrator, Larry Schopfer; Mayor of Hastings-on-Hudson Nicola Armacost; Mayor of Tarrytown, Karen Brown; Hastings Village Manager, Mary Beth Murphy; Tarrytown Village Administrator Richard Slingerland; Mayor of Ardsley, Nancy Kaboolian

Scroll down the page to see the current rankings!

Westchester County, NY, March 23, 2023 It’s GridRewards season once again and the Mayors of the Rivertowns are spicing things up as we head into Earth Month! GridRewards, a product of Logical Buildings, AI tech leader in sustainability, is an app designed to get large numbers of people to lower their energy consumption at the same time by getting paid to do so.

In order to alleviate stress on the grid when high energy demand is forecasted (think summertime heat waves), GridRewards users are prompted (via the app) to take simple, energy-saving actions, such as raising their thermostat a few degrees, or running dishwashers at off-peak hours. They are then compensated for their efforts — in cash.

Mayors from around the Rivertowns are urging residents, nonprofits and commercial property managers alike to sign up for GridRewards, especially as we near Earth Day on April 22nd. Niki Armacost from Hastings is leading the charge for her Village. “We’re very excited to participate in another Mayor’s Challenge this year using GridRewards! There are many actions people can take to reduce their carbon footprint, but GridRewards is one of the very simplest we’ve seen. And if we all work together – which is of course the real trick and the brilliance of the app, it is not only Rivertowns residents who win, but every person living within a few miles of a polluting Peaker Plant.”

This year, the municipality with the highest enrollment percentage, based upon population size, will win $1,000 from Logical Buildings, the company that developed GridRewards!

When so many users reduce their energy consumption at the same time, or in a synchronized manner, it effectively creates a distributed virtual power plant (VPP) and reduces the need for expensive, polluting, fossil-fuel-powered Peaker Plants — for those hot summer days or when the grid is overworked.

Avoiding the use of Peaker Plants, some feel, is the most important benefit of the GridRewards app. Peaker Plants are not only highly polluting and nearly always in marginalized communities, but over $4.5 billion dollars have been spent maintaining and running them since 2019, despite these power plants only being used 5% of the year. By helping to create a more stable and decarbonized energy grid for their entire region, GridRewards users can reduce our dependence on Peaker Plants.

GridRewards make sense not only for homeowners, but renters, building operators and more — essentially anyone who is paying for energy via a ConEd account. (An online ConEdison account is required for sign up and integration with the app.)

The Rivertowns Mayors challenge kicks off on March 23 and runs until April 28th. The app is free to download and there’s no cost to enroll or participate. You can find additional information on the GridRewards website.

The Results Are In! Hastings-On-Hudson Has Won the 2023 Rivertowns Mayors Earth Day Challenge for GridRewards

This past Earth Month, the Rivertowns Mayors took on an exciting challenge: enroll the most residents in Sustainable Westchester’s GridRewards to help reduce carbon emissions. Hastings took the top spot, enrolling 109 residents and earning the Village a $1,000 prize! Many thanks to all the municipalities who participated and to all the residents who signed up! Together we can reduce carbon emissions and pollution!

Last Updated on May 2, 2023

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.

About Sustainable Westchester:

Sustainable Westchester is a nonprofit consortium of Westchester County local municipalities facilitating effective collaboration resulting in sustainability initiatives and cutting-edge innovation. Our goal is to bring socially responsible, environmentally sound, and economically viable solutes that create resilient, healthy, vibrant, sustainable communities. For more information, contact Lauren Brois at (914) 242-4725 x122 or [email protected] or visit SustainableWestchester.org for general information.