Blog

Oct 14, 2023

Arizona residents get paid to beat the heat

Arizona is experiencing record high temperatures, lasting not just days but weeks, forcing many to crank up their air conditioners with the unintended effect of straining the region’s electrical grid.

Arizona is experiencing record high temperatures, lasting not just days but weeks, forcing many to crank up their air conditioners with the unintended effect of straining the region’s electrical grid. This summer and fall, Arizonans have the opportunity to join demand response programs that support the grid and receive substantial compensation for participating, including cash and free or discounted smart thermostats.

Over 100,000 Arizonans are already receiving incentives from their utility to participate, and electricity providers are looking to put even more money back into customers' pockets. Some utilities are even giving away free smart thermostats, helping customers participate, save energy, and keep comfortable during the summer.

Through partnerships with EnergyHub, Arizona Public Service (APS), Salt River Project (SRP), and Tucson Electric Power (TEP) customers can learn more about their utility’s demand response programs and easily enroll.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, demand response programs provide an opportunity for consumers to play a significant role in ensuring the reliability of the electric grid by allowing their utility to automatically reduce or shift their electricity usage during peak periods, in exchange for financial incentives. APS, SRP, and TEP customers are already making a major contribution to grid reliability, shifting an average of 276 megawatts on hot summer days. That’s the equivalent of powering more than 45,000 homes.

How do these programs work?

“These three utilities are stepping up to make it easier than ever for customers to be part of the solution with easy enrollment, financial incentives, and discounted or free devices,” said Jessie Guest, Strategic Client Success Manager at EnergyHub. “Arizona utilities are using this type of flexibility program to help keep the grid reliable and their customers comfortable and safe.”

A recent opinion piece in the New York Times sums up the need for demand response, “In situations like these, which will become more frequent as climate change makes heat waves longer and more intense, voluntary energy conservation isn’t likely to cut it. What if instead of appealing to goodwill, utilities just paid people to reduce their power use during peak hours? It would be cheaper, faster and more effective than building new power plants.”

EnergyHub is an independent subsidiary of Alarm.com (NASDAQ: ALRM), the leading platform for the intelligently connected property.

*Terms apply. See utility marketplace website for full details. Google Nest Thermostat $129.99 MSRP. **Remote control and mobile notifications require working internet and Wi-Fi.

EnergyHub is the leading grid-edge DERMS provider. Utilities rely on EnergyHub’s DERMS platform to manage all distributed energy resources to serve grid and market objectives. EnergyHub works with over 60 utilities in North America to manage more than 1.3 GW of flexible capacity. We empower utilities and their customers to create a clean, distributed energy future. For more information, visit www.energyhub.com.