Live More Independently With Smart Home Devices and Energy-Saving Programs
Apply today and find out if you qualify for FREE devices with installation!
Currently serving portions of Adams, Macoupin, Madison, Montgomery, Jefferson and Vermillion counties.
In partnership with Illinois Centers for Independent Living, the Smart Self-Reliance Initiative provides individuals with disabilities a smart speaker and a smart thermostat with installation included, all at no cost to participating customers.
To get your smart home devices, with installation included, verify your eligibility below and click to apply!
Reminder: Please select “Smart Self-Reliance Pilot Participant” as the Referring Program Ally when completing your application.
Eligibility Requirements:
- Home internet access with Wi-Fi of 2.4 GHz.
- A smart phone or tablet with internet access.
- A Google Gmail account and known password.
- Heating your home with Ameren Illinois gas or electric service.
- You have not previously received a smart thermostat from Ameren Illinois.
Applications for Multifamily properties are no longer being accepted for the remainder of 2023. To learn about additional ways to save at your property and to participate in the future, nominate your property.
- Must be a property containing three or more residential units.
- Must be a property with a high number of income-eligible households.
- Can be public housing authority properties.
- Internet access with Wi-Fi of 2.4 GHz.
- A smart phone or tablet with internet access.
- A Google Gmail account and known password.
- Heating your property with Ameren Illinois gas or electric.
Registration and Scheduling Instructions:
1. Ensure you are eligible for the Smart Self-Reliance Initiative by confirming you meet the Eligibility Requirements.
2. If you are eligible, complete the Smart Savers application form by clicking the Apply Now button.
3. Be sure to check the referral box for “Smart Self-Reliance Pilot Participant” on the application form.
After your application is complete, an Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program Ally will contact you by phone to schedule the installation of your smart thermostat. After that visit, the Smart Self-Reliance staff will contact you to schedule the installation of your smart speaker and provide you with additional ways to save through the Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program.
Applications for Multifamily properties are no longer being accepted for the remainder of 2023. To learn about additional ways to save at your property and to participate in the future, nominate your property.
1. Contact your property manager and inform them about the Smart Self-Reliance Initiative offered through the Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program.
2. Your property manager can learn more about the Initiative by clicking the Apply Now button and completing the application.
3. Your property manager must check the referral box for “Smart Self-Reliance Pilot Participants” on the application form.
After your property manager completes the application, an Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program Ally will contact them by phone to schedule the installation of your smart thermostat. Once the installation day is set, the property manager will inform you and other residents at the property of the installation date. After that visit, the Smart Self-Reliance staff will contact the property manager to schedule the installation of your smart speaker and provide you with additional ways to save through the Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program.
More Questions?
Contact the HES team at 1.866.838.6918.
Get to Know Your New Smart Home Devices
During the two installation visits of your new smart home devices, you’ll receive a personalized walk-through with instructions on how to use each device. You’ll also receive additional information for ways to save on your energy bills through the Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program.
Smart Self-Reliance Initiative in the Media
Additional sponsors of the Smart Self-Reliance Initiative include the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, Google and leading Illinois nonprofit organizations supporting persons with disabilities. To learn more about the Smart Self-Reliance Initiative and find additional resources for independent living through smart home devices and services, visit SmartSelfReliance.org.
By switching to heat supplied through electricity, not only will you save every month on energy costs, but you also have the convenience and reliability of the Ameren Illinois electric delivery system.
Advantage of Switching From Propane to Electric:
• Affordable: Unlike propane and oil heating, electric heating costs remain stable over the years. Electricity is currently a cheaper option for heating and is predicted to remain so for many years.
• Safe and Reliable: With no burning materials, combustible gases or noxious fumes, electric heating is the safest possible heating solution for your home. Efficient electric appliances typically involve heat pumps or induction technology which have become increasingly more reliable versus early versions of those technologies.
• Convenient: The Ameren Illinois electric system is already connected to your home to deliver electricity in a reliable manner. You never need to worry about running low on fuel, scheduling tank refills or maintaining storage tanks.
Improve the heating and cooling efficiency of your home by switching from propane to electric heating options like an air source heat pump. Air source heat pumps offer highly efficient heating and cooling in one integrated system. In the summer, air source heat pumps are air conditioners that pump heat out of your home. In the winter, they reverse, becoming heaters that pump heat into your home.
Benefits of Air Source Heat Pumps:
• Reduced Heating Costs: An ENERGY STAR® certified air source heat pump provides heating for approximately one third the cost of traditional electric baseboard heating, depending on where you live, and approximately half the cost of oil or propane heat. An air source heat pump is so efficient that it can deliver up to three times more heat energy to a home than the electrical energy it consumes.
• Reduced Cooling Costs: During the summer months, a central air source heat pump automatically becomes a central air conditioner. With ENERGY STAR products, you’ll also have reduced cooling bills due to highly efficient operation.
• Reduced Greenhouse Gas Emissions: An air source heat pump is good for your home and good for the planet. On average, ENERGY STAR certified models avoid more than 4,500 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions over the course of their lifespan compared to standard systems.
• Less Infrastructure: Air source heat pumps offer highly efficient heating and cooling in one integrated system.
Through the Home Efficiency Income Qualified (HEIQ) Initiative, eligible Ameren Illinois customers receive a FREE Home Energy Assessment to learn where your home is losing energy and discover ways to incorporate energy-efficient home improvements like LED lightbulbs, advanced power strips and heat pumps, all at no cost to you!
Benefits of a FREE Home Energy Assessment:
• Energy Usage: Understand how much energy your home is using and what appliances and products are using the most energy.
• Health and Safety: Uncover hidden problems that could be wasting energy and making your home unsafe, like poorly insulated walls and improper ventilation.
• Savings: Identify incentives to help determine budgeting for projects.
• Free Energy-Saving Products: During the Home Energy Assessment, receive FREE installation of energy-efficient products in your home. Propane appliances (furnaces, water heaters, stoves and clothes dryers) may be eligible for free replacement with electric appliances (heat pump water heaters, induction stoves, or heat pump clothes dryers).
Additional Ways to Save on Energy Costs
Through the Home Efficiency Income Qualified (HEIQ) Initiative, qualified Ameren Illinois customers can receive a FREE Home Energy Assessment to discover additional ways to save on energy costs through home upgrades and FREE installation of energy-efficient products, including LED lightbulbs, faucet aerators, low-flow showerheads and potentially more for residents of multifamily properties.
