Pace University and Voltus Partnership to Help Meet Campus Energy Goals

To counteract rising electricity costs and decrease emissions, Pace University has implemented demand response, energy efficiency and sustainability initiatives that resulted in $2 million in total energy cost savings last year. Partnering with leading virtual power plant operator, Voltus, Pace delivered these financial results while improving campus resiliency and creating new opportunities for the institution and its students as well.

Commitment to Sustainability

Pace University, a private institution with one campus in New York City, and two in Westchester County, has remained committed to environmental sustainability through its Energy Strategy.

To support this broader strategy, Pace began participating in demand response in 2020 through its partnership with Voltus. Voltus worked with Pace’s operations team to automatically reduce campus energy usage during periods of high emissions and stress on the grid. In turn, Pace would earn revenue and savings to invest in new sustainability initiatives, further reducing overall emissions.

Voltus enrolled both the NYC and Westchester campuses in multiple New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) and utility-based demand response programs, including the Commercial System Relief Program (CSRP), Distribution Load Relief Program (DLRP), and Special Case Resources/Installed Capacity (SCR/ICAP). Voltus's technology platform and New York-based team proved particularly valuable in simplifying the complexities of participation, while providing responsive support to on-the-ground personnel in preparation for, and during, emergency grid dispatches. By 2021, Pace’s overall efforts resulted in a 22% decrease in energy usage.

Commitment to NY Community

On July 15 and 16, 2024, NYISO’s SCR program was dispatched statewide on back-to-back days for the first time in fifteen years. During these events, One Pace Plaza, Pace’s flagship building complex, curtailed electricity use to help maintain grid stability without disrupting operations or comfort for its staff and students. The situation became even more complex when Con Edison's demand response program was called concurrently, resulting in an extended period of curtailment. Despite these challenges, Pace successfully met its curtailment targets in SCR, providing essential support to the grid.

Pace’s commitment to demand response extended beyond the summer months. Building on their summer success, Pace began participating in winter demand response programs, earning over $16,000 in revenue for a single hour-long SCR dispatch during the Winter 2023-2024 season. Both Pace and Voltus recognize that winter demand response will become increasingly crucial over the next decade as electrification increases demand on the grid.

Environmental Impact

Over the past four years, Pace's energy management efforts have yielded impressive results: greenhouse gas emissions from building energy usage decreased by 19%, while overall energy consumption dropped by 25%. Pace reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 4,000 metric tons, comparable to planting 350,000 trees. In the past year alone, Pace saved $2 million on electricity costs, while its five-year partnership with Voltus is projected to generate over $700,000 through demand response programs alone.

Unlocking New Opportunities

The financial gains from Voltus’s demand response programs have been reinvested in sustainability projects across the university. Demand response revenue has funded lighting retrofits and solar bench installations on campus. Pace is also installing a new generator this summer to further bolster energy resilience.

While all students benefit from the campus infrastructure improvements, a select few also have the opportunity to help drive them. The demand response revenue also helps fund student projects to make the campus more sustainable, most recently including a residence hall submeter installation planned by a student through a United Nations Millennial Fellowship.

Future Outlook

This case study demonstrates how other organizations can leverage demand response to strengthen their resiliency efforts, achieve significant emissions reductions, and generate revenue for campus sustainability initiatives.