Kansas utility unveils ecobee-enabled DR pilot

September 18, 2018

US utility Kansas City Power & Light has partnered with Tendril Orchestrated Energy to implement a demand response pilot.

Tendril Orchestrated Energy is providing its smart thermostat demand management solution.

The solution will allow KCP&L to add support for ecobee smart thermostats and enable existing ecobee users to reduce energy consumption during peak periods without sacrificing comfort.

Customers who participate will receive a $100 incentive in addition to expected HVAC energy savings.

The technology is expected to reduce cooling load by an average of 85% during demand response events and its daily optimisation schedules, when coupled with the energy efficiency savings from the ecobee smart thermostat, to reduce HVAC energy usage by up to 24%.

Chuck Caisley, chief customer officer, at KCP&L, said: “We’ve proved that a customer-friendly smart thermostat demand response programme is effective and we are always looking for ways to enhance our efforts. So we’re excited to partner with Tendril and ecobee as we bring customers even more options to reduce their energy consumption.

“Our customers want choice when it comes to the devices they install in their homes, and working with ecobee lets our customers reap the benefits of substantial energy efficiency savings via Tendril Orchestrated Energy.”

Adrian Tuck, CEO of Tendril. “A smart home connected to the grid is a powerful resource for utilities. Tendril Orchestrated Energy creates value for the utility and the customer simultaneously.”

The project forms efforts by the utility to delay investing in new generation infrastructure.

The pilot is a measure by the utility to develop new solutions to improve services to its 1.5 million customers in Kansas and Missouri.

 

From Smart Energy