In 2009, the DRRC and SMUD teamed up to test the use of dynamic pricing and communicating thermostats in the small commercial sector. The final results showed summer energy savings of 20%, event impacts of 14%, and bill savings of 25%. In 2011, the same team will conduct a similar study involving residential customers with interval meters. The study is designed to inform the transition to the Sacramento smart grid through experimentation with real-time energy use data and communicating thermostats, both with and without dynamic pricing. Three randomly chosen groups of residential customers were offered one of three equipment configuration treatments: (a) a smart thermostat, (b) a smart thermostat plus access to real-time energy data for their home, or (c) a smart thermostat plus access to real-time energy data for their home and several appliances. Participants also had the option to sign up for a dynamic rate and/or an automatic temperature control option. This presentation will review the progress to date for this residential study, including focus groups, recruitment, and technology installation. This study is designed and managed by Herter Energy Research Solutions with co-funding from the Sacramento Municipal Utility District and the Demand Response Research Center at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. This seminar was recorded is available for viewing or downloading in QuickTime format.

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2011-herter.pdf