COMMERCIAL ENERGY
Demand response programs.
Utilities pay buildings to flex. We enroll you, automate the response, and keep the checks honest.
THE SHORT VERSION
How demand response programs work
Demand response pays buildings to briefly use less power when the grid runs short. Utilities and grid operators call events during peaks; enrolled buildings shed the load they promised: dimming, pre-cooling and coasting, pausing noncritical equipment, and payments follow as bill credits or checks.
The commitment is bounded. Programs commonly cap events per season and hours per event, with advance notice. Most of the country's utilities and all seven regional grid operators run programs, and aggregators enroll buildings with no upfront cost, sharing the payments. It's revenue from flexibility the building already has.
GOOD FITS
What makes a building good at demand response
- Load that can pause or coast an hour without drama
- HVAC that can pre-cool ahead of an event window
- Controls that shed load on command rather than by hand
- A battery, if there is one: discharge counts as reduction
- Backup generation where programs and permits allow it
- Someone who gets the notification and owns the response
THE MONEY
How much does demand response pay
Programs pay two ways: for capacity, meaning being enrolled and ready, and for performance during events. Aggregators bundle buildings, handle the market side, and split the revenue, which is why enrollment typically costs nothing up front.
The honest framing: it's a revenue stream, not a fortune, and it pairs beautifully with peak-shaving strategies you'd run anyway. The building gets paid for discipline it already benefits from.
THE EVENT
What happens during a demand response event
Notice arrives a day or a couple of hours ahead. The building executes its plan: pre-cool early, ease setpoints, dim where it's safe, pause what can pause. Meters verify the reduction, and the event ends on schedule.
With controls automated, tenants mostly never notice. The buildings that struggle are the ones running events by sticky note, which is a controls problem wearing a program's clothes.
Curious what your flexibility is worth?
A recent bill answers it. Send one and the enrollment math comes back real.
QUESTIONS
Straight answers.
How much does demand response pay?
It depends on your region's programs, enrolled kilowatts, and performance. Payments come as capacity and event compensation, and aggregator proposals show the math before you commit.
How disruptive are events?
Bounded by design: caps on events per season, hours per event, and advance notice. Buildings with automated controls typically ride events without tenants noticing.
What if we can't perform during an event?
Programs handle occasional misses through reduced payments rather than drama, but chronic under-performance ends enrollment. Honest capacity assessment up front prevents that.
Do we need special equipment?
Not necessarily. Controls that shed load on command help enormously, and batteries add certainty, but many buildings enroll on operational flexibility alone.
GET STARTED
Get paid for flexibility.
Send a recent bill and what the building could pause for an hour. Enrollment options come back with the revenue math.