Customers will have more ways to manage their peak energy demand after the Arizona Corporation Commission last week approved the continuation of Arizona Public Service’s energy efficiency programs and the implementation of five new and expanded measures.
The new measures include:
- Smart Thermostats- Incentives for business and residential customers of up to 75 percent of the additional cost over a standard thermostat (max. $100 for each thermostat installed).
- Western Cooling Control Devices for HVAC- Incentives for business and residential customers of up to 75 percent (avg. $70 per unit) for the installation of a device on HVAC equipment which helps optimize equipment operation for the arid Southwest climate.
- Behavior Demand Response- An event-based messaging test to customers with the goal of achieving peak demand reductions and energy efficiency savings during the highest system peak days of the year.
- HVAC EC Motors- Incentives for business customers to use Electronically Commutated (EC) motors in HVAC systems, which can reduce energy usage by 65 percent or more.
- LED Linear Lighting- Rebates for business customers who switch from fluorescent lamps to LED lamps.
“Pairing advanced technology with customer education empowers our customers to have more control over their own energy use,” said Jim Wontor, APS Manager of Demand Side Management. “Today’s advanced grid would be unrecognizable to generations past. Not only is technology being implemented in the field to give utilities real-time information on energy use, but customers – through technology and forward-thinking rate structures – are being given tools to manage their energy use like no point in history.”
APS’s approved 2016 Demand Side Management (DSM) Plan emphasizes the company’s focus on assisting customers in managing peak demand and encouraging smart technology adoption. The plan also outlines APS’s continued work towards compliance with the Energy Efficiency Standard (EES) of 22 percent by 2020. The company’s current portfolio of energy efficiency programs is anticipated to provide approximately 562,000 megawatt-hours of annual energy savings in 2016. That’s enough to power over 40,000 typical Arizona households for an entire year.
The commission also approved energy storage as a component of the DSM plan. APS has been at the forefront of storage research for many years and is currently piloting energy storage within both the Solar Innovation Study and at a broader “grid” level. Customers are empowered more than ever before to engage in their energy usage and save money. In addition to taking advantage of demand-based rates and making simple behavioral changes, customers can now take advantage of these newly approved measures, as well as look forward to emerging technologies such as energy storage.
