Peak Day Partners FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Have questions about Peak Day Partners? We got you covered. Explore frequently asked questions below.

General Information

  • Peak Day Partners is a demand response program. Demand response programs help maintain reliable electricity service throughout California. They can also reduce the need to relyon new and existing fossil fuel facilities to meet electricity demand during peak periods. Solar generation decreases toward the end of the day. When that happens, there is a sharp increase in the need for energy the grid needs to meet peak demand, especially on the hottest days of the year. Demand reduction by our Peak Day Partners helps reduce the use of fossil fuel power plants and prevent potential grid outages.

  • When we call an Event Day, customers may voluntarily reduce electricity use between the hours of 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. to earn a financial incentive. While participating, your customer account will still be billed each month at the account’s normal electric rate. After the season ends, we will calculate if your account earned an incentive. We calculate your incentive by comparing your account’s electricity usage between 4 and 9 p.m. on each Event Day relative to your account’s baseline. Your account’s baseline is your expected electricity usage if an Event Day had not been called. For each kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity your account reduced, your account is compensated by the per-kWh incentive rate of $1.50/kWh. If your account reduces electricity for over 75 percent of the program’s total Event Day-hours in a season, we will also apply the extra bonus rate of $1.00/kWh.

    1. Turn off or reduce discretionary and non-critical electric loads. Examples may be inside and outside lighting, including decorative lighting.

    2. Precool spaces, adjust thermostats, keep outside doors and windows closed, use fans, duty cycle air-cooled package units, and limit demand to chillers.

    3. Avoid or limit use of electric vehicle charging from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

    4. Modify automated building and other process and control strategies to reduce electric loads.

    5. Always be safe and consult with your energy professionals to help plan and manage your efforts.

    For more ideas, review our document for reducing energy usage.

Incentives

    1. The Event Day baseline is calculated using the following method: The baseline is calculated on an hourly basis using the average of the ten preceding non-holiday weekdays, excluding (a) days for when the customer was subject to an Event Day or (b) an event for a dual-enrolled demand response program or rate.

    2. The hourly baseline is then adjusted to more accurately reflect your account’s expected electricity usage based on the conditions of the Event Day. This is done by multiplying the baseline for each hour of the Event by the day of (DO) adjustment value for the Event Day.

    3. The DO adjustment value is determined by calculating the ratio of (a) the average load of the first three hours of the four hours prior to the Event to (b) the average load of the same hours from the preceding ten non-holiday weekdays as described in #1. The DO adjustment value will be between 0.80 and 1.40.

  • We calculate your incentive by comparing your account’s electricity usage between 4 and 9 p.m. on each Event Day relative to your account’s baseline or "Event Day Baseline". Your account’s baseline is your expected electricity usage if an Event Day had not been called. For each kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity your account reduced, your account is compensated by the per-kWh incentive rate of $1.50/kWh. If your account reduces electricity for over 75% of the program’s total Event Day-hours in a season, we will also apply the additional bonus rate of $1.00/kWh.

  • Incentives are calculated after the season ends on October 31. To calculate your incentive, we will analyze the data to determine if your account earned an incentive. If your account earned an incentive, it will be applied as a bill credit to your account’s CleanPowerSF/PG&E electric bill. Incentives are usually issued early the following calendar year.

Notifications

  • We will call Event Days only on weekdays; holidays and weekends will be excluded.

    Event Days occur when the day-ahead temperature is forecasted to be at or above 99 degrees Fahrenheit. (We use the National Weather Service forecast temperature data. It  averages the temperatures of five locations: San Jose, Concord, Red Bluff, Sacramento, and Fresno.) We may call supplementary Event Days if we determine that more Event Days are necessary. We will base our decision on alert notifications by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), or on market or weather conditions. We may also call Event Days to meet the six Event Day season minimum.

  • If you want to review or change the contact data for Event Days, call us at (415) 554-0773 or email cleanpowersf@sfwater.org.

Participation

  • Yes, you may cancel your participation in Peak Day Partners at any time. If you cancel participation before the end of the season, no bill credit will be applied to your account. To earn a bill credit, your account must be enrolled through the end of the program season.

  • You will be automatically enrolled in the new season if you had a load reduction of at least 100 kWh and avoided load over 30% of Event Day hours in the last season. You will be notified about any planned changes to rules or rates prior to the start of a new program season.
    If you did not have an incremental load reduction of at least 100 kWh or did not avoid load over 30% of Event Day hours in the last season, we will reach out to you about your interest remaining in the program. If we do not receive a response from you by July 1, we will unenroll you from Peak Day Partners.

More Information

See below for more information and background about demand response, energy efficiency, and greening the grid.

Resources

Articles