Case Study
Electricity providers in the U.S. and Canada are making strides in educating and engaging consumers on how to better control how much energy they use, the resulting costs they incur and the benefits of shifting their usage.
These case studies collected by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative spotlight how smart energy technologies have engaged consumers to enable them to match the energy they use with their needs and lifestyles.
EnergyUnited Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) is the largest electric cooperative in North Carolina, serving more than 135,000 metering points. Headquartered in Statesville, EnergyUnited provides electric service in portions of 19 counties in west central North Carolina. Now the largest electric cooperative in North Carolina, EnergyUnited has roots that date back to the late 1930s by way of two smaller community-based providers: Crescent EMC and Davidson EMC.
In July 2020, EnergyUnited partnered with Virtual Peaker, a cloud-based distributed energy software company, to create a new demand response program for its members, Peak Time Perks. The program engages cooperative members in reducing energy consumption during peak periods, saving the entire cooperative money in the process.
After less than a year of customer recruitment, EnergyUnited was able to enroll over 1,000 smart thermostats into the Peak Time Perks program. In the summer of 2021, the cooperative initiated six demand response events during predicted peak days and hit nine of the 10 major peak hours.
