Demand Response (DR) – the process of temporarily reducing a property’s energy demand – is an easy way for businesses and organizations to generate added revenue.

The call for Demand Response comes mostly in the summertime; on those very hot days, when temperatures are high, and air conditioners are working overtime. This is when excessive energy use can challenge the electric grid, and the threat of “demand exceeding supply” quickly becomes a reality.

By temporarily cutting back on energy use or powering up a standby generator, Demand Response participants supply the electric grid with an extra ‘cushion’ of energy reserves, helping to reduce the risk of energy blackouts or brownouts– while generating added income for their bottom line.

Learn how to temporarily reduce your energy demand – and you, too, could be a candidate for Demand Response.

Here’s how it works…

The regional transmission organization calls a Demand Response event, knowing that it is facing peak demand for electricity on a particular day. They contact you in advance, allowing ample time to implement your customized load reduction strategy; with limited impact on business operations. Simple tactics may include:

• Pre-chilling your offices to allow the temperature set point to be raised during the actual event without effecting comfort levels.
• Moving nonessential production to the evening shift or shutting down a production line.
• Dimming or shutting off lights in non-essential areas like lunchrooms, and common areas.
• Turning off one or more elevators for the duration of the event.
• Turning off lights in areas where natural daylight is readily available.

Agree to reduce your energy load by maybe 300 kilowatts per event, and you could receive added annual revenue of $15,000, just for promising – and then participating in demand response.

If no event occurs, you’ll still receive that revenue, for the simple act of signing a contract to reduce energy if needed. And should circumstances prevent you from being able to reduce your energy load during an event, there are no penalties for non-performance.

At the end of an event, you’ve saved energy, brought supplemental income to your business – and helped keep the local electric grid stable.

Interested? Find out if your business is the right fit for Demand Response. Contact AUS for more information.