Google Nest partnership helps build ‘Community Solar’ farms to lower your electric bill

Google — specifically “Nest Renew” — is partnering with Pivot Energy on a Community Solar program for those living in Colorado and Illinois. 

Nest Renew lets Google thermostat owners cool/heat their homes when more clean sources of energy are available. However, this partnership with Pivot Energy — “a national solar provider which supplies community solar programs and benefits to users” — doesn’t require you to have a Nest Thermostat or be a Nest Renew subscriber. You just need to live in an eligible area, have a Home/Nest device, and Google Account.

The Community Solar project involves you (and others) signing up for a paid subscription that helps build and support a local solar farm. Once those solar panels are live, you “receive solar credits on your electric bill each month.”

You’ll receive a bill from Pivot Energy for your subscription and clean energy credits for your electricity bill. The value of the credits you get back will be more than the cost of your subscription.

Google says this is “guaranteed to save at least $60 in the first year.” Meanwhile, as an additional incentive, the “first 2,000 people who successfully enroll will get a $125 Google Store gift card.” 

This program is currently only available to select users in Colorado and Illinois that are located near certain solar projects and with partnering energy utilities. Google is reaching out to eligible Community Solar users through the Nest app, and the enrollment process looks like this:

1. Follow the Google provided link and complete signup on the enrollment site hosted by our partner Pivot Energy. This includes entering a valid form of payment, supplying your utility account information, providing a contract signature, and agreeing to Pivot Energy’s Terms and Conditions.
2. Pivot Energy validates enrollment and will message you about how to redeem any offers once you have been approved. After you’ve completed enrollment in Pivot Energy’s community solar offering you’ll have automatic access to your Pivot Energy dashboard.
3. Pivot Energy will send you a welcome email after they’ve confirmed your enrollment. That email will have instructions for how to redeem your additional Google Store credit (if you are eligible).²
4. Pivot Energy will communicate with you about our community solar plant status: when it comes online, when you can expect to see savings on your bill, and any additional details. Depending on your state and signups some plants will come online sooner than others.