Please Operate Backup Generators during the CAISO Declared Emergencies.
Get Rewarded for Helping the Grid
Help prevent power outages! A new program is available that will pay you when you reduce your energy use during grid emergencies.
Emergency Load Reduction Program
To reduce the risks of outages across the grid in California, a new program has been instituted that pays registered commercial customers when they reduce their energy usage during certain grid emergencies. The Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP) pays $2/kWh for load reduction during an event. Events can be called on any day between the hours of 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. during the summer months of June through September. Participants will not be asked to reduce their load for more than a cumulative total of 60 hours in one year.
There is no penalty for failing to reduce your load during an ELRP event, so this program offers only the upside of being paid to reduce your usage! Backup generation can even be used as a way to further reduce your building’s load during these ELRP windows.
How to Enroll
Visit the enrollment page to learn more about the requirements and get started.
Webinar Recording
The ‘Get Paid to Reduce Electrical Load During Emergencies, With No Penalty’ webinar took place on August 25, 2021, and included representatives from PG&E, Olivine and SVCE. View the webinar below to learn more.
Other Demand Response Programs
Interested in finding other programs that can reward you for reducing your load? Want to participate in more grid events than occur through ELRP? Take a look at the following options, but be sure to fully review the different eligibility and rules. Some existing demand response programs are not compatible with ELRP.
Base Interruptible Program (BIP)
Requires that you have a maximum demand of 100kW or higher during peak windows and pays you to reduce that demand during events. You can face a financial penalty if you use an excessive amount of energy during these periods.
Capacity Bidding Program (CBP)
CBP is managed by third-party aggregators who have their own program designs and incentive payments or non-compliance penalties. Payments are made based on the reduction in demand during called events.