IN PROGRESS

Energy Consulting Services
Herter Energy Research Solutions provides consulting services in the areas of dynamic pricing and demand response. HERS supports the understanding, research, development, implementation and outreach of dynamic pricing and/or demand response programs. In this role, HERS assists in several related areas, including the development and implementation of alternative dynamic pricing tariffs, and the research, design and development of demand response technologies, programs and services. HERS also serves as a facilitator and subject matter expert in dynamic pricing and demand response programs at workshops, meeting, hearings and briefings for both external and internal audiences.

Residential Information and Controls Pilot
The main objectives of this study are to (1) determine the differential effects of real-time and appliance-level data on residential energy use, and (2) determine the effects of a critical peak rate with an air-conditioning load control option. The experimental service plans and information treatments will commence in summer 2011 on a sample of 300 participants. The final report for this project is planned for December 2011.

COMPLETED

Information Feedback Research through Simulation Gaming (2009)
This research focuses on how the presentation of energy information changes residential energy use behavior, using simulation gaming to study behavioral response to variations in energy information feedback. In particular, this study investigated whether the additions of real-time and appliance-level information to summary and building-level information affected behavior in a simulated energy-use environment. Combinations of these four research variables were randomly distributed to participants in a research game from which energy use scores were collected. These energy usage scores were then analyzed to determine differential effects of the various feedback factors on player behavior. The two main research questions and findings are as follows.

Does the addition of real-time building information effect behavior change? The study did not provide evidence for a change in behavior with the introduction of real-time building data. The average energy use score for the participant groups given real-time building information was 1% higher than the average score of the group with only summary building data. This difference is not statistically significant (p=1.0).

Does the addition of appliance information effect behavior change? This study did provide evidence for a change in behavior with the introduction of appliance-level data. The average energy use score for the participant groups with appliance-level information was 6% lower than the average score of the groups with only building level information. This difference is statistically significant (p=0.06).

The second phase of his research will implement a similar study in the field, using a sample of residential customers in the Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s service territory (see “Residential Information and Controls Pilot” above).

Mass-Market Pricing Communications (2009)
This study demonstrated a demand response system that can signal nearly every customer in all sectors through the integration of two widely available and non-proprietary communications technologies—Open Automated Demand Response (OpenADR) over Internet protocol and Utility Messaging Channel (UMC) over FM radio. The outcomes of this project were as follows: (1) a software bridge to allow translation of pricing signals from OpenADR to UMC; and (2) a portable demonstration unit with an Internet-connected notebook computer, a portfolio of DR-enabling technologies, and a model home. The demonstration unit provides visitors the opportunity to send electricity-pricing information over the Internet (through OpenADR and UMC) and then watch as the model appliances and lighting respond to the signals. The integration of OpenADR and UMC completed and demonstrated in this study enables utilities to send hourly or sub-hourly electricity pricing information simultaneously to the residential, commercial and industrial sectors.