Demand response adjusts electricity use to match supply conditions. When the grid is stressed, utilities pay large users to cut back. When power is abundant and cheap, they signal customers to use more. The goal is to balance the system without firing up expensive peaking plants.

Large industrial customers are the easiest to enroll. A cement plant can pause a mill for an hour. A cold storage warehouse can pre-cool. Data centers can shift non-urgent computing. Residential programs exist too. Smart thermostats cycle air conditioners during peak hours. Electric vehicle chargers delay charging until midnight.

The benefits add up. Utilities avoid building new plants that run only a few hours a year. Customers earn payments or lower rates. Emissions fall when dirty peakers stay off. As renewables grow, demand response becomes more valuable. Solar and wind do not follow demand. Flexible demand follows them.

Common programs

• Industrial load curtailment
• Smart thermostat cycling
• EV charging management
• Commercial building setpoints
• Aggregated residential programs