More than one billion smart devices now using marginal emissions data to slash power grid pollution with WattTime's 'AER’

As Automated Emissions Reduction (AER) technology continues to scale in smart devices across the globe — including Toyota and BMW EVs, Amazon and Google Nest smart thermostats, Apple iPhones, and more — it has the potential to reduce three billion tonnes of carbon emissions per year by 2030.  

Oakland, Calif. — 14 October 2025 — Environmental tech nonprofit WattTime today announced that more than one billion smart devices globally are now using its marginal emissions data to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from electricity use, in what WattTime calls Automated Emissions Reduction (AER) technology. For context, that’s about twice the combined global subscriber base of Netflix and Amazon Prime, and roughly half the number of Instagram users worldwide.

AER enables electric vehicles (EVs), thermostats, smartphones, and other internet-connected devices to automatically use electricity at times that will cause less pollution, which can vary significantly by location and time of day. This means avoiding the use of electricity when it requires a dirty, fossil fuel power plant to meet that need and instead using more power at times when excess renewable energy is available. 

“What matters to me is stopping climate change, not actually whether people do it with WattTime’s data or someone else’s,” said Gavin McCormick, WattTime Founder and Executive Director. “What’s important here is that so many people are now shifting electricity from times that genuinely make fossil fuel plants run, to times that don’t. I would be so thrilled if, next, someone else announces they’ve enabled even more AER users than we have.”

AER continues to be recognized for its positive climate impact and easy implementation, most recently earning a spot on TIME’s 2025 Best Inventions list last week. McCormick has similarly been awarded for his impact-focused efforts, including his work with AER. Last month, McCormick was featured on Forbes’ 2025 Sustainability Leaders List and named a winner of global philanthropy nonprofit Climate Breakthrough’s 2025 Climate Breakthrough Award.

As for success in the field, many of the world’s largest corporations have already adopted AER, in some cases adding it to more than 100 million new devices in one day. 

Some companies and products that have deployed WattTime’s AER thus far include:

• Apple iPhone Clean Energy Charging
• Toyota’s ECO Charge feature for Toyota and Lexus vehicles
• BMW’s ChargeForward smart charging program
• Optiwatt’s Save The Planet for EV charging
• ev.energy EV charging platform 
• Amazon Smart Thermostat 
• Google Nest thermostats with Nest Renew
• Microsoft Windows 11 PC
• Xbox gaming console
• BrainBox AI Autonomous HVAC control for buildings
• Residential heat pump water heaters in California
• University of Michigan campus farm produce cooler and delivery truck
• Most behind-the-meter battery companies in California, through the state’s Self-Generation Incentive Program 

For a detailed list of AER implementations, click here.

EV charging has been an especially impactful use case, due to its flexibility and high energy use. EV companies with AER-enabled charging deployed or in development make up 20% of the global EV market as of 2024. The ubiquity of AER for EVs continues to gain momentum, as WattTime’s partner Rivian is currently integrating WattTime’s marginal emissions data.

Other examples of the many flexible, internet-connected devices and services that can leverage AER include heat pumps, home appliances, battery-powered tools, building energy management software, data centers, virtual computing, and AI training jobs.

“AER is a force multiplier for building decarbonization. Together, our autonomous AI tech and AER demonstrated their positive impact on grid energy use. By shifting building electricity consumption to smarter times, we achieved two key outcomes: reduced emissions and greater use of renewable energy that would otherwise be wasted,” said Jean-Simon Venne, President and Founder at BrainBox AI.

AER’s growing reach has been bolstered by WattTime’s October 2024 global expansion of the first-ever real-time electricity marginal emissions dataset, which made AER available for nearly every country worldwide. After talking with its existing partners about their expansion plans, WattTime believes AER availability will likely double to reach two billion devices in about nine months. 

“Flexible loads like AI and electric vehicles are growing so fast. Based on the US Department of Energy’s projections of growth rates, if everyone adopted this simple, nearly free technology, AER could prevent three billion tonnes of carbon dioxide annually by 2030. That’s about 8% of all greenhouse gas emissions, or larger than any country’s emissions worldwide except China, the US, India, or Russia,” said McCormick.

For EVs in particular, AER can reduce grid emissions from charging by up to 18% annually, and more than 90% on individual days. In other technologies, use of AER has achieved reductions of 25–90%, depending on the device, time of day, and grid region. 

WattTime and others continue to develop new innovations in AER. Most recently, grid operators such as PJM, MISO, and NYISO have joined California in releasing official marginal emissions datasets that make it possible to measure the impact of AER using data straight from the local grid operator or government.

AER can also be programmed to reduce not only carbon dioxide emissions, but also health-damaging air pollutants. For example, companies like Toyota have integrated AER in their app software to create a charging schedule that is likely to reduce both the health and climate impacts of charging with grid electricity. AER can also optimize for the reduction of renewable energy waste, enabling power grids to absorb up to 20% more clean electricity from solar and wind farms.

The other key technology WattTime deploys using marginal emissions, Emissionality, also continues to scale rapidly, having grown from one billion watts to fifteen billion watts in the last twelve months. 

Learn more about AER here. And connect with the WattTime team by sending a message here.   

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About WattTime:

WattTime is an environmental tech nonprofit that empowers all people, companies, policymakers, and countries to slash emissions and choose cleaner energy. Founded by UC Berkeley researchers, we develop data-driven tools and policies that increase environmental and social good. During the energy transition from a fossil-fueled past to a zero-carbon future, WattTime 'bends the curve' of emissions reductions to realize deeper, faster benefits for people and planet. Learn more at www.WattTime.org. 

Media contact:

Nikki Arnone, Inflection Point Agency for WattTime

nikki@inflectionpointagency.com