Three Hoosier Energy Member Co-ops Use Smart Thermostats and EV Chargers to Reduce Demand on Electric Grid
Posted October 17, 2022
Louisville, KY and Columbus, OH – Virtual Peaker, a cloud-based SaaS company empowering modern utilities with the friendliest distributed energy platform on the planet, along with Hoosier Energy, have announced their new “Connect To Save” program. This program uses smart thermostats and Electric Vehicle (EV) chargers to reduce demand on the electric grid.
Hoosier Energy is a Bloomington, Indiana-based generation and transmission (G&T) electric cooperative that provides wholesale power and related services to distribution cooperatives across central and southern Indiana and southeastern Illinois.
Connect To Save leverages Virtual Peaker’s Shift distributed energy resource management system (DERMS) suite to manage residential electric demand through machine learning and real-time control of internet-enabled appliances. This voluntary management reduces demand for electricity while minimizing the impact on homeowners. Shift connects in-home smart devices to run real-time residential demand response programs that leverage distributed energy resources (DERs) to reduce cost and avoid peak times when energy is more expensive.
Collaborating with three of its member co-ops, Jackson County REMC (Brownstown, IN), South Central Indiana REMC (Martinsville, IN), and Southeastern Indiana REMC (Osgood, IN), Hoosier Energy is now in partnership with their participating members to remotely control residential smart thermostats and EV chargers.
Designed to shift power consumption to off-peak times of the day, the program is helping Hoosier Energy reduce demand while transitioning to cleaner and renewable energy sources. Devices used in the program include smart thermostats from Google Nest, ecobee, and Honeywell Home, plus EV chargers provided by Enel X and ChargePoint.
CLICK HERE to read the full press release.
