The Societal Benefits of Demand Response Programs

Published: April 10, 2008, 8:01 p.m.

b'Energy Efficiency Markets Podcast Interviews David Brewster, president and co-founder of EnerNOC Inc. He explains that up to 10% of the capacity of US power plants and transmission infrastructure is used solely to provide energy during peak (high-demand) periods that occur 1% of the time. Demand-response programs like EnerNOC\\u2019s collect loads from hundreds of different facilities and network them together to help meet peak demand and to avoid construction of new power plants. \\u201cWe can shave off those peak demand periods and eliminate the need to build all that infrastructure,\\u201d Brewster says. Customers who implement demand-response programs reduce their non-essential use of electricity to help make the electric grid more efficient and cut carbon emissions. Brewster provides some background about demand response and EnerNOC.'