You’ve probably heard before that the electric grid needs to remain in perfect balance
between supply and demand. But maybe you haven’t really thought about what it takes
to do that. If the grid were a restaurant – with the chefs as the generators, the servers
as the transmission and distribution system, and the patrons as the end-users – then the
chefs would have to be making food and the servers serving food all at the exact same
rate that the patrons ate the food. No food could ever be set down to rest; it would have
to be cooked, served, and eaten at the exact same rate. The chefs and servers would
have to adjust to increasing and decreasing demand as the patrons entered and left the
restaurant, but the flow of the food could never stop moving and the restaurant could
never close.

That’s how electricity works. It’s the only commodity on planet earth that can’t be stored
in a warehouse until needed – it must be consumed at the exact same time as it is
generated. And so, because of the need to be kept in perfect balance, the whole grid is
sized to meet peak demand, which is the time of year when the most electricity is being
consumed – typically during the hottest days of the summer. And if the peak demand
keeps growing, the grid needs to grow too.

That’s where demand response comes in.

At Eversource, we use ConnectedSolutions – our demand response program that is
available throughout our territories, including New Hampshire – to keep that peak down.
In turn, this can delay the need to increase the size of the grid, and we also avoid the
need to turn on some of New England’s oldest and least efficient generation plants.
That’s the goal of our programs – keep peak demand down as much as possible.

Everyone can earn rewards.

Eversource is implementing demand response programs in New Hampshire, and we
invite all of our residential customers to get involved. How? If you have central air
conditioning, you can install a smart thermostat and enroll in our ConnectedSolutions
program, where we make small adjustments to the thermostat during times of peak
demand, up to 15 to 20 times a year. Individuals will receive $50 for each eligible
thermostat they enroll and $20 each year they participate in the program.

If you have solar, you can install a battery and participate in our New Hampshire Clean
Energy Fund battery storage program. During times of peak demand, we’ll send a signal
to your battery to discharge its energy, fully powering your home and thereby taking
your load off the grid.

Once again, when you participate in either of these programs, you are saving money;
but you may also be eligible for an upfront incentive up to $3,000 if you agree to
participate in demand response with your battery.

Our programs help customers reduce their energy costs, and customer participation
helps us reduce the need for costly upgrades to the grid and minimizes uses of older
and least efficient power sources. That’s why demand response is a win-win-win for the
customer, the grid, and the planet.

Jennifer Runyon is an energy efficiency consultant in demand management for Eversource.