The movement to reduce power usage and energy consumption among both consumers and businesses has never been stronger. This is especially true in the United States, where one year of energy consumption can now beat the energy production rate of the previous half-century.
In the U.S., businesses are rewarded with rebates and write-offs to replace inefficient systems with energy-saving green systems and technology. Heating and cooling systems are an ideal example, with the government offering worthwhile financial incentives for consumers who install solar, wind or geothermal systems.
U.S. energy providers, in the face of challenges like rising generation costs and expiring rate caps, are working with customers in unprecedented ways to reduce consumption and seek alternative ways to feed our power-hungry economy and country. Customers are experiencing a shift in the way that power companies control when power is being used. This active power management pushes power loads that would traditionally have occurred during peak power consumption periods into valleys, or low-energy usage cycles.
This helps to reduce brownouts, which can occur when energy usage exceeds the amount of energy that is available during these daily periods of peak consumption. Managing the power consumption and more evenly spacing it allows power companies to avoid scaling for additional power production.
Demand response instead relies on specific devices to reduce power on or completely shut down high-energy-usage machines and components during peak demand times, or otherwise balance usage between high- and low-demand cycles. This strategy is often referred to as load shedding, and when used effectively can help both the utility company and the customer to conserve energy and reduce costs.
In the U.S., businesses are rewarded with rebates and write-offs to replace inefficient systems with energy-saving green systems and technology. Heating and cooling systems are an ideal example, with the government offering worthwhile financial incentives for consumers who install solar, wind or geothermal systems.
U.S. energy providers, in the face of challenges like rising generation costs and expiring rate caps, are working with customers in unprecedented ways to reduce consumption and seek alternative ways to feed our power-hungry economy and country. Customers are experiencing a shift in the way that power companies control when power is being used. This active power management pushes power loads that would traditionally have occurred during peak power consumption periods into valleys, or low-energy usage cycles.
This helps to reduce brownouts, which can occur when energy usage exceeds the amount of energy that is available during these daily periods of peak consumption. Managing the power consumption and more evenly spacing it allows power companies to avoid scaling for additional power production.
Demand response instead relies on specific devices to reduce power on or completely shut down high-energy-usage machines and components during peak demand times, or otherwise balance usage between high- and low-demand cycles. This strategy is often referred to as load shedding, and when used effectively can help both the utility company and the customer to conserve energy and reduce costs.
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