In an effort to urge more people to go solar, one of the nation’s leading solar power providers has announced a particularly innovative incentive program for Airbnb hosts. SolarCity — of Elon Musk fame — announced this week it plans on shelling out $1,000 to any Airbnb home sharer who uses its service to install solar panels on their home, in the form of a cash-back payment. Conversely, Airbnb says it also plans to give new and current SolarCity customers a $100 travel credit if they decide to sign up as hosts.
Announced by the two companies on October 18, the new incentive program will run through March 2017. Once this period passes, SolarCity says it still plans on rewarding Airbnb hosts for installing solar panels, however the cash-back offer will drop to $750. That’s a small drop in the bucket compared to installation costs associated with going solar — installs range anywhere from $20,000 to $30,000 depending on the company and the installation — but any amount of cash back is an attractive perk, nonetheless.
“We know specifically that our guests are looking for this when traveling,” said Chris Lehane, Airbnb head of global policy, on a press call.
Lehane’s statement is yet another indication of Airbnb’s long-standing desire to focus on being an environmentally friendly company. An independent report conducted by Cleantech Group found that staying at an Airbnb listing instead of a hotel helped travelers drastically reduce the amount of water they used, to the tune of 4.2 billion liters in 2015. The same report also discovered staying at Airbnbs rhelped reduce waste by an astounding 37,000 metric tons, equivalent to the energy consumption of 280,000 homes and the greenhouse gases of roughly 560,000 cars.
An impressive batch of statistics, no doubt. The partnership with SolarCity should give Airbnb a boost in popularity — and not just among millennials, a consumer group the company says are its most active users. SolarCity’s Airbnb incentive program is active now, and the company says it has no plan to limit the number of people eligible for the $1,000.
Outdoor security cameras are not always practical if you live in an apartment or rental. Drilling into an exterior wall may be off-limits, while pointing a regular indoor camera through a window can create another problem once reflections start showing up after dark.
Baseus is trying to solve both issues with the new PrimeSentinel W1, a $69.99 security camera designed specifically to monitor the outdoors through glass. It mounts directly to a window without drilling and uses a 4K Starlight sensor with an F1.0 aperture for full-color monitoring during the day and at night.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
Technology evolves every day, transforming how we live and work. Our devices are becoming more than tools we use. They are increasingly capable companions that help streamline day-to-day routines and spark creative ideas. If you have been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your tech setup, the Discover Samsung Shopping Event offers an opportunity to explore what connected, AI-powered living can look like.
With AI progressing so fast, it's only a matter of time before we start getting AI companions like the ones we used to see in movies like R2-D2, Wall-E, or Baymax. Now, Singapore-based OKA Technology has unveiled Mori, a cute little AI companion that looks less like a conventional home robot and more like someone turned the Pokémon Foongus into a table lamp.
Mori isn't meant to clean your house or control your smart home, but to serve as what OKA calls a "Nature Companion." It uses subtle movements, warm lighting, nature-inspired sounds, and small reactions to make its presence around the house feel calming rather than distracting. Mori can sit quietly while you read, sway along to music, welcome you when you enter a room, or encourage you to slow down for a moment without requiring a screen or a conversation.