Consumer Engagement for the Smart Grid (CESG)

Energate Inc.

Location

Ottawa, Kanata, Nepean, Manotick, Sittsville, Orleans, Gloucester Cambridge, Thornhill, Aurora, Bolton, Peterborough, Vaughn, Klienburg, Ayr, Wellesley, Penetanguishene, Markham, Waterloo, Richmond Hill, Barrie, Owen Sound, Alliston, Collingwood, Woodbridge, Unionville, Wiarton, St Jacobs, Tottenham

Funding Amount

$2,872,775

Description

Energate’s Consumer Connected Demand Response (CCDR) platform included mobile apps, web portals, smart thermostats, wired load switches, and smart plugs that all leverage two-way connectivity. Energate partnered with six Ontario LDCs to deploy their solution into 733 homes across the province.

Status

Project complete.

The project showed that consumers want to manage their energy and are more engaged when they have technology solutions that provide value, are easy to use, and fit their lifestyle. Most participants enabled with the highest level of technology saw greater value and indicated a willingness to pay for it.

Project results showed that:

  • 94% of participants would recommend Energate’s solution
  • 86% thought it was easy to use
  • Savings, convenience, and comfort were most important to consumers

Energate significantly enhanced its solution by:

  • Developing smart thermostat and load controllers that respond to load control and price signals
  • Integrating with AMI networks to leverage utilities' prior and ongoing investments
  • Creating new two-way Internet of Things networks
  • Establishing a new point-to-multipoint (P2MP) two-way communication solution when AMI or Internet may not be available

Collaborators include:

  • PowerStream
  • Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro
  • Peterborough Utilities
  • Hydro One Networks
  • Hydro Ottawa
  • Waterloo North Hydro

Customer Opt-In Dynamic Pricing Programs

Energate Inc.

Locations

Alliston, Aurora, Barrie, Beeton, Bradford , West Gwillimbury , Markham , Penetanguishene, Richmond Hill, Thornton, Tottenham, Vaughan

Funding given

$1,349,320

Description

Energate and Alectra (formerly PowerStream) introduced an optional dynamic pricing program for residential customers in which the daily on-peak price varied in response to overall provincial demand.

Status

Project complete.

The program was marketed to 1,000 participants as Advantage Power Pricing (APP) - a technology-enabled dynamic pricing program for residential customers. The pilot delivered an average demand reduction of 1.1 kW per home during the 2015 summer; the aggregate program impact was over 1 MW. These results suggest an Ontario-wide potential of more than 400 MW of demand response capacity.

This exciting demonstration project found that:

  • APP peak period demand reductions in high and critical price periods were higher than those achieved in other programs. For example, Ontario’s peaksaver PLUS residential load control program achieved an average 0.47 kW savings per home.
  • On average, participants paid $74 less in electricity commodity costs than they would have if billed at TOU rates.
  • The majority of participants would recommend the program and technology to friends and family.

Collaborators include:

  • Alectra Utilities (formerly PowerStream)
  • Environics Analytics

Integrating Dynamic Pricing & Customer Feedback on Electricity Usage to Stimulate Residential Conservation & Demand Response

McMaster University

Locations

McMaster University, Hamilton; Hydro One customers across Ontario

Funding given

$1,357,966

Description

This project is evaluating various dynamic pricing programs and their interaction with different types of electricity usage feedback to evaluate energy consumption patterns. The project aims to attribute consumption shifting, conservation and customer satisfaction due to variation in various aspects of rate structures. Over 1,000 households from Hydro One’s service territory participated in the pilot phase.

Status

Project underway.

Collaborators include:

  • Hydro One Networks Inc.
  • Blue Line Innovations Inc.
  • PlotWatt

Residential Conservation & Energy Management

Rogers Communications

Locations

The former PowerStream’s component of Alectra Utilities' distribution area: Alliston, Aurora, Barrie, Beeton, Bradford West Gwillimbury, Markham, Penetanguishene, Richmond Hill, Thornton, Tottenham and Vaughan

Funding given

$2,403,489

Description

Roger’s Residential Energy Management (REM) project leveraged existing home automation equipment by layering on advanced sensors and data analytics to improve energy conservation through better measurement and control of appliances.

Status

Project complete.

The project demonstrated that REM can successfully shift electricity consumption away from the most expensive time-of-use (TOU) periods. During the summer months, REM was able to achieve an average 6% reduction in summer On-Peak consumption. Average total energy savings (i.e., across all summer TOU periods) were on average approximately 1.4%, in line with summer savings delivered by commercially available "smart thermostats". During winter months, REM delivered an estimated 132 m2 of natural gas savings per participant, equivalent to 8% of what would have been consumed otherwise in the winter months.

Collaborators include:

  • Alectra Utilities (formerly PowerStream)

Behavioural Demand Response Pilot

Opower

Location

Ottawa

Funding Amount

$570,000

Description

Opower has teamed up with Hydro Ottawa to deliver a Behavioural Demand Response (BDR) pilot (Pilot) to demonstrate that Ontario LDCs can effectively reduce demand in peak periods through customer engagement and behavioural science. Rather than relying on installed devices to reduce usage during peak periods, this pilot seeks to demonstrate the effectiveness of proactive, personalized communications in motivating customers to reduce their usage during the moments where the grid is most constrained.

Status

Project complete.

Hydro Ottawa had four Summer Saving Day peak events in 2015: July 10, July 28 and July 29, and August 19. The pilot was successful in reducing peak demand during program hours and saw high levels of engagement among Hydro Ottawa customers. The project showed that BDR has the ability to reduce peak demand at scale and provide consistent energy savings for the grid.

Project results showed:

  • An average of 2.93% peak savings across the 4 events
  • 844 MWh of savings between July 1, 2015 and September 30, 2015
  • Over 70% or participants surveyed stated they would participate in the program again

Collaborators include:

  • Hydro Ottawa
  • IESO (Observer)
  • DNV GL
  • Savage Data Systems

Team Ontario ECHO (Ecological Home)

Queen’s University

Location

Irvine, California

Funding Amount

$79,253

Description

Team Ontario is a collaboration of over 100 students from Carleton University, Algonquin College and Queen’s University selected to compete in the 2-13 U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon. The objective of the Project is to build ECHO (ECological HOme), a "smart" home that incorporates modern technologies such as predictive shading, real-time energy monitoring, an integrated mechanical system and a user-friendly mobile application to control features of the home. The long-term objective for the Project is to design a new standard of sustainable living for the next generation of young homeowners that increases the public’s demand for sustainable, net-zero housing.

Status

Project complete.

In the competition, Team Ontario scored an impressive 926 out of the 1000 available points placing them 6th overall, with first place finishes in Engineering, Energy Balance, and Domestic Hot Water Production. After the competition the house was shipped back to Ontario to be used as an educational and informational resource.

In fall 2016, The Queen’s Solar Design Team announced a new partnership with Bullfrog Power for the Queen’s Solar Education Centre (QSEC), a continuation of the house’s development that began with the 2013 Solar Decathlon. Now reconstructed on the Queen’s University campus, the QSEC is functioning as an off-grid structure where engineering students can experiment with green building technologies. Educational workshops are planned in the future that will allow people to learn how they can live more sustainably.

Collaborators include:

  • Carleton University
  • Algonquin College

MaRS Green Button "Connect My Data" Pilot

MaRS

Location

Ontario

Funding Amount

$625,000

Description

Starting in 2013, MaRS Discovery District administered a Green Button Pilot Project with London Hydro and Hydro One, along with an App Contest to support the development of Green Button software applications. These applications are designed to give consumers access to their energy consumption information in a standardized and secure manner.

Status

Project complete.

London Hydro’s pilot ended in November 2015 after one full year of market availability. At termination, London Hydro’s GB CMD platform supports seven applications (four serving residential customers, three serving commercial/institutional customers) and is available to all London Hydro customers, including customers with both smart and interval meters.

Hydro One’s pilot ended in May 2016, one year after its GB CMD platform went live. Hydro One’s GB CMD implementation currently supports three applications (one serving residential customers and two serving commercial/institutional customers) and is available to residential and commercial/institutional customers with smart meters.

The pilot demonstrated that participants' primary motivations for enrolling were to better understand their electricity consumption and to save money on their electricity bills.

  • 86% of residential participants reported that their participation and use of GB CMD applications helped them to better understand their energy consumption.
  • 62% reported having made specific changes to reduce their electricity use as a result of their participation.

Collaborators include:

  • London Hydro
  • Hydro One