US utility unveils three new clean energy and efficiency programmes
September 12, 2018
US utility Arizona Public Service has announced its three new programmes designed to help consumers increase adoption and optimise clean energy resources.
The three programmes Cool Rewards, Strong Rewards and Reserve Rewards provide consumers with incentives to adopt advanced technologies that would help improve management of solar energy resources.
The programmes help homes and businesses to consume electricity at midday when solar energy is plentiful and to conserve power in the late afternoon and early evening when it is in greatest demand.
This helps consumers reduce energy costs and contribute to the reliability of grid network.
Consumers are receiving funding to adopt technologies such as thermal storage, through hot water heaters and smart thermostats.
The programmes are expected to help Arizona to achieve its clean energy and carbon emission goals.
Cool Rewards allows residential customers to use their eligible smart thermostats to help shift energy use to off-peak hours. This programme helps customers shift electricity use outside the higher-priced, on-peak hours of 3 to 8 p.m.
Thermostats will be adjusted remotely up to 20 times per year to reduce usage during peak hours and customers will retain full ability to override the adjusted settings.
Customers will receive a $25 bill credit upon enrollment and a $25 bill credit annually for as long as they participate. All residential customers of the Arizona Public Service (APS) are eligible to participate in Cool Rewards, with the program enrolling up to 6,000 customers.
Storage Rewards offers battery storage to customers on APS’s system. The batteries will help customers get the most out of APS service plans that include peak-usage, and/or demand, charges. Residential customers will also receive a one-time participation award of $500 once they have been accepted to the program and the battery is activated. Customers also can benefit from additional possible savings from use of the technology. When the program launches later this year, APS will install Storage Rewards batteries on 40 residences in targeted areas.
Reserve Rewards puts highly efficient electric water heaters in residential customers’ homes that can help them save money by using energy at midday when power costs less. Customers will own these water heaters, and the units will heat a home’s water when excess solar generation is available. APS will give customers an instant rebate for the full installed price of the equipment. Additionally, customers can save money over the lifetime of the unit. This program will launch later this year and APS will provide rebates for about 200 grid-interactive water heaters in homes that are located in targeted areas.
“Our customers today want more than just reliable power; they want cutting edge technology and they want to know how to manage their energy use to best fit their lifestyle,” said Marc Romito, APS Director of Customer Technology. “These programs offer that, while also helping us learn more about how customers interact with different technologies to more efficiently use the renewable energy already on our grid.”
From Smart Energy
