Preparing for those energy peaks, which usually occur in the
early mornings and evenings when people are waking up and getting ready for the
day or getting home from work and starting dinner, is critical to the PUD
continuing to keep power affordable, reliable and environmentally sustainable.
One way to meet peaks is to build more power plants. But
because wind and solar power are not dependable during the winter, that would
likely mean adding fossil fuels to the PUD’s power mix, something that would
jeopardize the PUD’s ability to meet the state’s clean energy mandates.
Another way to meet those peaks is to not have them in the
first place. To do that, the PUD must work hand-in-hand with customers and
leverage smart technologies to decrease energy usage during critical time
periods in the winter. Innovative technology like advanced meters, smart
appliances and connected communication tools give customers more control over
their energy consumption and the PUD more information on energy usage.
The PUD’s recently launched FlexEnergy pilots will help
guide future plans for incentivizing behaviors that reduce energy usage during
peak times. It’s important for the PUD to know how customers respond to
time-of-day rate designs, and demand response and critical peak pricing
programs and how smart technology can assist them in shifting energy usage away
from peak periods.
The pilots are the first of their kind for PUD customers and
will introduce PUD customers top the types of tools and programs that they will
have the opportunity to join after the Connect Up program rolls out starting in
2023. With more customers taking part, little behavior changes, like scheduling
an electric vehicle to charge overnight or changing the time they run laundry
or a dishwasher, can help the PUD create a more flexible, clean and reliable
power grid.
Residential customers can enroll eligible smart devices as
part of the program. Smart thermostats from Google Nest and ecobee and
connected EV chargers from ChargePoint and JuiceBox are eligible. Customers who
do not register a smart device can join the Customer Choice non-smart tech
programs.
The FlexEnergy pilots will focus on three approaches to
shifting energy use:
FlexTime: A time-of-day pilot that offers an incentive and
employs a new rate design providing customers a chance for costs savings by
using energy during discount rate periods.
FlexResponse: A demand response pilot allowing customers to
earn incentive payments by leveraging customer-owned smart technologies to
lower energy use at certain times.
FlexPeak: A peak pricing pilot that offers incentives and
employs a peak-pricing rate design that offers customers a discount rate and
peak rate to motivate customers to reduce use at certain times the PUD
designates.
Customers who sign up for any of the three pilots will
receive bill credit incentives. Customers who enroll in the FlexTime and
FlexPeak pilots will also receive discounts on their energy rate during
specified times of the day.
The pilots are open to all residential customers who meet
limited eligibility requirements, whether they own eligible connected devices
or not. Want to enroll in a FlexEnergy pilot program? Visit
snopud.com/flexenergy.
Operating since 1949, Snohomish County PUD is a
customer-owned, not-for-profit electric and water utility that serves more than
360,000 customers in Snohomish County and Camano Island. For more information
on conservation programs, visit www.snopud.com.
