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Demand response (DR) programs

Find the right program for your home or business

PG&E's demand response programs

PG&E's demand response programs are designed to enable customers to contribute to energy load reduction during times of peak demand.

  • Most PG&E demand response programs also offer financial incentives for load reduction during times of peak demand.

 

Contracted third-party demand response programs

Contracted third parties offer programs for customers to save or earn money by adjusting energy usage.

  • Participation also helps balance the electric grid without producing emissions.

Residential energy incentive programs

Participate in residential demand response programs

WIth one exception, you can only participate in one energy incentive, energy reducing, peak hour or direct bidding program at a time. You must unenroll from one to enroll in another.

  • Customers are allowed to be enrolled in both Power Saver Rewards and SmartRate.

To learn more about energy incentive programs offered by companies other than PG&E, visit third-party incentive programs for demand response.

PG&E residential and third-party demand response programs

Power Saver Rewards Program

  • Reduce your energy use to conserve energy on select hot summer days when demand for electricity is high.
  • Receive a credit on your bill after the program season for helping to keep California's grid reliable.
  • No special equipment needed.
Learn more about the Power Saver Rewards Program

SmartAC™

  • A SmartAC device remotely shifts some of your energy use out of the hours when it's most in demand.
  • Enroll with an existing smart thermostat for $75 or get $120 off a new smart thermostat.
  • For customers with an air conditioning unit.
Learn more about SmartAC

SmartRate™

Take control of your electric rate and help conserve California's power grid when needed most. SmartRate is risk free and backed by our Bill Protection guarantee.

Sign up for SmartRate

Leap

The Leap platform provides fast, automated access to energy markets for your distributed energy resources. Our software-only solution makes it easy for your business to get paid while deploying virtual power plants to create a cleaner, more resilient electric grid.

Learn about our software-only solution to managing energy markets

OhmConnect

A no-cost, no-risk service that notifies you when electricity prices spike in your neighborhood and pays you to save energy during those times.

Lower your bills and get paid with OhmConnect

WatterSaver

By enrolling in WatterSaver, your electric water heater can automatically take advantage of lower electricity rates, so water is heated at the least expensive times of day. Plus, you can earn a $50 gift card enrollment bonus and an additional $5 gift card credit for every month you participate.

Learn how to save with WatterSaver

Business energy incentive programs

Participate in business demand response programs

 

Sign up for a PG&E program or select a program from another demand response provider. Note that some private companies contract with PG&E, while others are independent.

PG&E business demand response programs

Peak Day Pricing

  • Optional rate
  • Offers businesses a discount on regular summer electricity rates
  • In exchange, customers pay higher prices during Peak Day Pricing event days
Explore Peak Day Pricing

Base Interruptible Program (BIP)

Are you a customer with an average maximum demand of at least 100 kW?

  • Earn a monthly incentive for reducing energy consumption to prescribed levels when called upon.
Enroll directly with PG&E or with a PG&E third-party program

Capacity Bidding Program (CBP)

This aggregator-managed program operates with a Day-Ahead option and runs May 1 through October 31.

Learn more about CBP

Third-party programs

Some private companies contract with PG&E. Visit each company’s website for details on their incentive programs.

Learn more about third-party programs

Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP)

A seven-year pilot program that offers financial incentives for participating businesses to reduce their energy use during times of high grid stress and emergencies.

Visit Olivine to learn how your business can participate in ELRP

Optional Binding Mandatory Curtailment (OBMC) Plan

Can your business commit to reducing energy use by 15% on your entire circuit during every rotating outage?

  • You may be eligible for a rotating outage exemption.
Learn more about OBMC

Automated Demand Response

When you enroll in select energy incentive programs, you'll also be eligible for equipment rebates and added incentives through Automated Demand Response.

Demand Response Auction Mechanism (DRAM)

If you're a demand response provider, get information on RFOs, read frequently asked questions and more.

Visit the DRAM program

Electric Rule 24

Electric Rule 24 provides PG&E electricity customers the opportunity to enroll in demand response programs offered by third party demand response providers, including those listed above. 

Visit Rule 24 for commercial customers and third party demand response providers/aggregators

Frequently asked questions

California's supply and demand for electricity can be affected by:

  • Storms
  • Heat waves
  • Power plant repairs and maintenance

Power can be interrupted when demand is high and supply is short.

 

The cost and environmental impact of building enough power plants to satisfy every possible supply and demand scenario is too expensive.

 

Demand response programs are fiscally and environmentally responsible ways to respond to peak demand periods.

 

The programs offer incentives to customers for temporarily reducing their electricity use when demand is greater than supply.

Demand response provides a way for you or your company to advance power reliability on your terms.

  • Your voluntary participation will help enhance electricity reliability for all California.
  • Take small (and big) steps to reduce your electricity demand.
  • Give back to the grid and earn incentives.

Demand response days occur when demand for electricity is forecast to be greater than supply. This typically occurs during hot summer days. This can also happen:

  • If generation facilities are closed for maintenance
  • If transmission lines are damaged, or
  • During periods when the price to purchase added electricity escalates

Building and maintaining enough power plants to satisfy occasional and temporary peaks in demand would impact rates and the environment.

  • Major capital investment projects with low utilization are not in the best interest of California businesses or our environment.
  • Temporarily reducing demand when resources reach capacity is more fiscally and environmentally responsible.

You must be a PG&E customer on:

  • An eligible rate schedule
  • Bundled Community Choice Aggregators (CCA), or
  • Direct access

Plus, your facility must have an interval meter to qualify for demand response. PG&E offers DR programs for large, medium and small customers.

You or your facility must have an interval electric meter that can be read remotely by PG&E.

  • The rules vary by program.
  • Under all programs, bundled customers with demands of 200 kW or greater for three consecutive months in the past 12 months are eligible to have an interval meter installed at no cost.
  • Some business programs, like Base Interruptible Program (BIP), provide bundled customers with demands of 100 kW with a no-cost interval meter.
  • In general, direct access customers are responsible for the cost of an interval meter.

See program tariff for additional details.

At this time you can sign up online for the Base Interruptible Program program by using PG&E's online enrollment system:

  • Have your PG&E bill with you so that you can easily find your account information.
  • Using your PG&E account number, you'll create a user name and password.
  • All your Service Agreement IDs will automatically link to the user name so that you can select the ones that are eligible to enroll in demand response right on the online screens.
  • You can return to the enrollment website to check on the status of your application.


Need more information about enrolling in the Peak Day Pricing (PDP) plan? Contact your PG&E account representative or call the PDP information line at 1-800-987-4923.

The best way to monitor the effects of an Event Day is to rely on feedback from the facility's occupants.

  • Their feedback will help you determine what is working and what may no longer be applicable to their environment.

Set realistic goals.

  • For example, it is not necessary to turn off all the lights or turn off the air conditioning. Small reductions help as well.

It is important to get a systemwide email out to the occupants so they know there is an event happening.

  • The more advance notice you can give the better, but a reminder email just before the event is a good idea as well.
  • This is critical for facilities that rely on the occupants as much as the facility managers and engineers on an Event Day.

Demand response participants can see meter data and access reports with Cost and Usage Trends.

You may receive alerts by email, phone, text or fax. The advanced alert depends on which program you are in and which options you have selected.

The demand response programs have different requirements for load reductions during declared events. Consequences of not participating or not dropping load can include:

  • No impact if you are in a voluntary program
  • Financial penalties that offset any rate savings in mandatory programs

Are you a business customer with questions about our demand response programs and eligibility criteria? Contact your local PG&E account representative.

 

Residential customers can visit Contact us.

 

Are you having trouble with online enrollment ? Call 1-800-254-5810 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, or send an email for a next-day reply.

To learn about other ways to participate in demand response programs, visit the California Public Utilities Commission.

Demand response reports

Monthly Interruptible Load Program Reports

By order of the CPUC, the monthly ILP Report provides updates here on key metrics for PG&E's demand response programs.

More energy savings programs

Energy Savings Assistance (ESA)

Qualified renters and homeowners can improve the comfort, health and safety of their homes with appliance upgrades and home repairs.

Learn about ESA

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