Demand Response Industry Updates

Stay informed of energy industry articles, trends and announcements

EnergyConnect Customers Exceed 2009 Event-Based Load Response Expectations
December 7th, 2009

Congratulations and thank you to the hundreds of organizations successfully participating in EnergyConnect’s event-based reduction programs this summer. With energy use at reduced levels, none of the EnergyConnect programs were called on this year. Nonetheless, your commitment for being on standby to reduce load is a significant service to the power grid. 
With the 2009 season behind us, […]

Firm Service Level or Guaranteed Load Drop – Which One is Best for You?
December 7th, 2009

Enrollment for the EventConnect ILR capacity program in the PJM/Mid-Atlantic region is now open. Unlike other regional demand response programs, the EventConnect ILR program offers a choice of two methods to quantify load drop. Customers may elect to reduce to a Firm Service Level (FSL) or provide a Guaranteed Load Drop (GLD). What differentiates the […]

The Wall Street Transcript Interviews EnergyConnect CEO, Kevin R. Evans
September 24th, 2009

”Customers don’t understand price; they don’t understand that electricity is priced every hour and the effect that could have on their businesses. So we want to help educate end users on the market prices of electricity, their usage profile and, in turn, how they can shape
their use to lower their overall cost of electricity.” 
TWST: Would […]

Clean Winners in the Energy Sector
September 21st, 2009

Bryce Dille thinks that companies working on energy efficiency and building the “smart grid“ have the best short-term prospects of the alternative energy stocks he follows. This trend is above all the result of the economic downturn; contributing to the interest in efficiency is the change in Washington, which has caused some short-term disruption and [...]

Get Connected: The Future of Demand Response
August 24th, 2009

The concept of demand response seems to be gaining momentum, especially in context with the smart grid. What does this mean for demand response and what can we expect in the future? Although demand response adoption seems to be widespread in some geographies, we are really just at the beginning. A recent study commissioned by FERC [...]

Ten Tips for Curtailment Planning
Monday, August 24th, 2009

Effective curtailment planning is a key success factor in any demand response strategy. Defined as a proactive planning process to temporarily decrease electricity consumption, thoughtful and creative curtailment planning can maximize cost savings, reduce emissions and generate revenue during voluntary and event-driven demand response. 
EnergyConnect’s engineers and support teams work with each customer to review their specific operational environment and [...]

New Report: Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the US Economy
Thursday, July 30th, 2009

Research shows that the US economy has the potential to reduce annual non-transportation energy consumption by roughly 23 percent by 2020, eliminating more than $1.2 trillion in waste – well beyond the $520 billion upfront investment (not including program costs) that would be required. The reduction in energy use would also result in the abatement […]

10 Simple Summer Energy Savings Tips for Work and Home
Thursday, July 9th, 2009

With summer in full gear, during the day we may not realize how much opportunity there is around us to reduce our energy bill. With small, temporary energy reductions at home and in the office, less turns out to be more.
1)   Taking Cover – Often the air conditioner will kick on and run higher than [...]

Why Electric Utilities Aren’t Promoting Their Energy-Efficiency Initiatives
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

Electric utilities are increasingly offering energy-efficiency programs, but there’s a good chance their customers don’t know about them. That’s according to a survey by market research firm Gartner that found that the vast majority of respondents said they were willing to participate in programs that could help them reduce energy bills.
This article from cnnmoney.com demonstrates […]

New FERC Study Assesses State-by-state Potential for Demand Response
Thursday, June 18th, 2009

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) released A National Assessment of Demand Response Potential, finding the potential for peak electricity demand reductions across the country is between 38 gigawatts (GW) and 188 GW, up to 20 percent of national peak demand, depending on how extensively demand response is applied. This can reduce the need to [...]

Building the Smart Grid
Monday, June 15th, 2009

Even though the demands being placed on national electricity grids are changing rapidly, the grids themselves have changed very little since they were first developed more than a century ago.  
Energy: By promoting the adoption of renewable-energy technology, a smart grid would be good for the environment—and for innovation
Associated Press
Around the world billions of dollars [...]

Making America’s Electric Grid Smarter
Friday, June 12th, 2009

President Obama says America needs to modernize its electrical transmission with a “smart grid” to increase reliability, save money and facilitate the use of renewable energy. Grid experts Daniel Kammen and EnergyConnect, Inc. Board Member Kurt Yeager discuss what “smart grid” means, and how to build one.
Hear the podcast

U.S. Climate Bill Best Bet to Take Enviromental Lead Says Chu
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

The bill would initially give away 85 percent of carbon permits to various industries including utilities and steel producers.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. climate change bill making its way through Congress is the best legislative bet to help the country take the lead in tackling global warming on the world stage, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu […]

The Call for Responsive Demand-side Technologies
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009

The U.S. needs new, responsive, demand-side energy technologies to ensure that periods of tight electricity supply on the grid don’t turn into power outages. The Demand Response Research Center addresses two motivations for adopting demand responsiveness: reducing average electricity prices and preventing future electricity crises. (Video)The research conducted by Berkeley Lab and the California Energy […]

Fixing The Aging U.S. Power Grid
Friday, May 29th, 2009

Modernizing the old, outmoded U.S. power grid is likely to be an expensive and time consuming business. (Video)
See the video courtesy of MarketWatch.com

FERC 2009 Summer Energy Market Reliability Assessment Released
Thursday, May 21st, 2009

Demand Response, which will be utilized to reduce peak load for the 2009 summer, is projected to increase by 8%. This is more than a 2,200 MW increase from last summer.
Read the Assessment: http://www.ferc.gov/market-oversight/mkt-views/2009/05-21-09.pdf

Renewables Push a Gold Mine for Demand Response Middlemen
Friday, May 15th, 2009

More doors are expected to be open for demand-response aggregators, as “smart grid” initiatives are slated to receive $4.5 billion from the federal economic-stimulus package. Smart grid uses digital technology to save energy, cut costs and boost reliability of the delivery of electricity to consumers.
On a February night in 2008, the wind died in the […]

Celebrate Bike to Work Month “Efficiently”
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

Bicycling is non-polluting, energy-efficient, and space-conserving.
Societal and Environmental Benefits of Riding a Bike to Work
The League of American Bicyclists recognizes the individual, societal and environmental benefits that bicycle transportation offers, especially when such trips represent a transfer to bicycling from personal motorized modes of transport. The use of bicycles for personal transportation has repeatedly been […]

ACEEE Report Presents Comprehensive Findings of the Potential for Greater Energy Efficiency in Pennsylvania
Wednesday, May 6th, 2009

“Energy efficiency is the cheapest and quickest way to address our energy needs,” said Steven Nadel, Executive Director of ACEEE and co-author of the study. “And because energy efficiency will save consumers money on energy bills and create new, local jobs, it is clear that an aggressive commitment to energy efficiency will also be a […]

Peak Load Management Alliance Awards FlexConnect
Thursday, April 30th, 2009

Outstanding Curtailment Service Provider Award – EnergyConnect
EnergyConnect Inc. has received an award for the outstanding efforts related to its FlexConnect program, a voluntary demand response program that pays customers for temporary load reduction when wholesale electricity prices are high.  FlexConnect provides a platform for users to make informed decisions on the best times to […]

Earth Day is Wednesday, April 22nd
Thursday, April 16th, 2009

Take the quiz to calculate your ecological footprint and learn ways to help make your workplace and home more “green’.
www.earthday.net

Many Business Owners May Not Have Enough Green to “Go Green”
Thursday, April 9th, 2009

The majority continue to make environmental efforts, but many say the economy has affected their plans. Demand response can revive those plans in 2009.
Although the majority of business owners say they are doing at least “everything that can be justified by cost” to help the environment, many say the economy has made them change their […]

The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009
Wednesday, April 1st, 2009

Smart Grid and Electricity Transmission. The draft contains provisions to facilitate the deployment of a smart grid, including measures to reduce utility peak loads through smart grid and demand response applications and to help promote smart grid capabilities in new home appliances. It also directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reform the regional planning […]

National Standard for Energy Efficiency Can Save U.S. Consumers and Businesses Nearly $170 Billion
Thursday, March 19th, 2009

“Energy efficiency is the veritable low hanging fruit for businesses who want to fight climate change and reduce their monthly energy bills.”
EnergyConnect helps industrial, commercial, educational and municipal organizations fund their energy efficiency initiatives through earned revenue by participating in demand response. 
Washington, DC March 18, 2009 - Energy efficiency initiatives that reward consumers and businesses for […]

A Few Not-Too-Painful Changes Could Shave 30% Off Your Energy Bill
Tuesday, March 10th, 2009

You don’t have to shiver in the dark to reduce your home or company’s energy costs.
**Saving energy can be done at home and at the office. For more information on how you can save up to 30% on your organization’s energy bill, contact us**
March 9, 2009 - USA Today - Sandra Block
For last month’s Frugal Family Challenge, […]

Earth Hour - The World Turns Off its Lights
Friday, March 6th, 2009

You’ve heard of Earth Day, but what about Earth Hour? Sign on to participate in Earth Hour, which will take place Saturday, March 28. Earth Hour is a global effort to get as many people as possible to turn off their lights for an hour, at 8:30 p.m. within their time zone.
Reminder: Earth Day is Wednesday, […]

Envisioning a New, Interconnected Energy System
Monday, February 23rd, 2009

Last week, when President Obama signed the massive $787 billion stimulus bill, he said it would help create “a newer, smarter electric grid” — a grid that he said “will make our energy bills lower, make outages less likely, and make it easier to use clean energy.” The smart grid will make demand response widespread.
Excerpt: […]

Achieving Maximum Possible Energy Savings Using Sustainable and Economically Feasible Energy Efficiency and Demand Response Strategies
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009

According to the ACEEE report, in order to achieve the maximum possible energy savings in America national policy is needed that outlines a sustainable and economically feasible strategy that includes energy efficiency and demand response programs. 
Excerpt from SmartMeters.com:  
National policy could guide energy conservation efforts to reduce the environmental impact of the power grid as […]

Demand Response in U.S. Barely Scratching the Surface of Potential
Monday, January 5th, 2009

Current energy efficiency and demand response/load management programs are barely scratching the surface of what is achievable, according to the U.S. Electricity Advisory Committee (EAC) in a new draft report on the nation’s electricity supply adequacy to the Department of Energy (DOE).
Article Excerpt: 
The report says utilities in many states have been implementing energy efficiency and […]

FERC Report Marks Significant Progress in Demand Response
Monday, December 29th, 2008

Demand response and advanced metering programs have made significant progress in serving more consumers across the country, says a new Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) report that charts the expansion of these energy-saving programs since 2006.
The report, 2008 Assessment of Demand Response and Advanced Metering, is FERC’s third annual report on demand response issues. […]

New Report Details Policy Actions on Demand Response and Smart Grid Technologies Since 2005
Monday, December 8th, 2008

The Demand Response Coordinating Committee (DRCC) today announced the availability of a new report on state and federal policies that have been enacted or are under development in recent years in the area of demand response, smart meters and smart grid technologies.
The Report includes a special focus on state implementation of the demand response and […]

A Powerful Plan - EnergyConnect Inc. Posts First Profitable Quarter, Eyes Chunk of $12B Market
Friday, November 28th, 2008

Coming off its first profitable quarter as a stand-alone company, startup energy services firm EnergyConnect Inc. believes it’s on the path to full-time profitability. “It’s kind of an exciting time. It’s a transition point,” said Rod Boucher, CEO of the Lake Oswego-based company.
“The demand-response category is probably the hottest flavor-of-the-day in the whole smart energy space,” […]

Peak Pay-Off
Monday, August 18th, 2008

Meeting peak demand for power can cost utilities plenty. With demand-response programs, they’ll pay you to help cap the peak by trimming power use.
Reprinted article (pdf) from Building Operations Management, July 2008.

Article Excerpt:
Some power customers are getting paid to use less electricity — not just once, through a grant or rebate, but every time they […]

Can We Prevent Another Blackout
Tuesday, August 12th, 2008

Full article is at Time.com.
Article Excerpt:
Making the grid smarter will take real investment, but that’s been lagging, and like much of our infrastructure, the grid is overdue for an overhaul. “Government funding has been pretty modest in scale,” says Daigle. He notes that last year’s federal energy act contained authorization for smart grid investment — […]

Power Plant Costs & The Case For Energy Efficiency
Tuesday, August 12th, 2008

Read the full article more at www.altenergystocks.com.

Article Excerpt:
But The Real Winner Is…
Unsurprisingly, the FERC expects there to be a response to rising electricity prices - in other words, demand for power is elastic.
What’s the main response likely to be initially? An increase in demand-response (technologies that adjust power consumption based on prices). The FERC estimates […]

Innovative Solutions to Address the Nation’s Energy
Monday, May 5th, 2008

The advances in next generation demand response we are seeing today are only the beginning. As more technologies such as smart meters, economic distributed solar power, advanced storage, and enhanced software platforms enter the market, the opportunities for demand response and other market driven opportunities will increase dramatically.
Interview with […]

Next Generation Demand Response
Tuesday, September 4th, 2007

Next Generation Demand Response: The Readily Available Green Energy Solution
From the September 2007 Edition of AutomatedBuildings.com
Full article is at www.automatedbuildings.com as part of the September series on Demand Response.

By Steve Schaefer, Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing at EnergyConnect, Inc.
Article Excerpt:
Demand response participation is growing in awareness and popularity, as this is […]

Video: World Business Review
Wednesday, January 31st, 2007

EnergyConnect, Inc. on Alexander Haig’s World Business Review TV Series Link: Streaming Video


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