The old adage “it takes a village” is universal shorthand to describe the best way to raise a child, but it can represent anything that requires a larger group to take part in something that benefits the community as a whole.
With the Independent Electricity System Operator forecasting significant demand growth in the coming years as electrification accelerates, utilities are starting to reach beyond their regular toolboxes to meet growing system demands and regulatory requirements. Demand response as a peak-reduction tool is well known. But with its new residential program, myEnergy Rewards, Hydro One is exploring the value of demand response as a non-wires alternative to defer or avoid some capital expenditures on traditional poles and wires infrastructure in the distribution system. As part of its mission to build the grid of the future, Hydro One sees its scalable myEnergy Rewards program as a first step toward building a virtual power plant – a flexible resource that aggregates the capacities of diverse distributed energy resources (DERs) sited with customers.
Launched this past spring, months before a seasonal heatwave had the chance to settle in, Hydro One’s myEnergy Rewards program is voluntary, letting customers choose whether to enrol in the program or to participate in individual peak-demand events during which their electricity use will be slightly curtailed. System peaks typically occur on hot summer afternoons and during these times Hydro One can call peak-demand events through a DER management system that sends a signal to temporarily adjust a participating smart thermostat by a few degrees. These peak-demand events will last from a minimum of one hour to a maximum of four hours, and occur only up to 15 times in a calendar year. If customers choose to join with their HVAC smart thermostat (e.g. an ecobee or Google Nest controlling a central cooling system), they receive either a $75 e-gift card for bringing their own device or a $75 discount off a new smart thermostat purchased from the Hydro One myEnergy Rewards Marketplace.
Launched this past spring, months before a seasonal heatwave had the chance to settle in, Hydro One’s myEnergy Rewards program is voluntary, letting customers choose whether to enrol in the program or to participate in individual peak-demand events during which their electricity use will be slightly curtailed. System peaks typically occur on hot summer afternoons and during these times Hydro One can call peak-demand events through a DER management system that sends a signal to temporarily adjust a participating smart thermostat by a few degrees. These peak-demand events will last from a minimum of one hour to a maximum of four hours and occur only up to 15 times in a calendar year. If customers choose to join with their HVAC smart thermostat (e.g. an ecobee or Google Nest controlling a central cooling system), they receive either a $75 e-gift card for bringing their own device or a $75 discount off a new smart thermostat purchased from the Hydro One myEnergy Rewards Marketplace.
Click here to read more about Hydro One's myEnergy Rewards program, their first step toward building a virtual power plan in the winter issue of The Distributor.