Think about a hot summer day. The thermometer reads 100 degrees and your air conditioner is running full blast. Now think about your neighbors, their neighbors, and their neighbors. Each and everyone of them probably has their air conditioners running just as you do. Now repeat that across an entire city or an entire state and you can see that the power grid is probably overwhelmed. This is why during extremely hot summer days, its not unheard of to hear about black outs, where entire cities are without power because the demand is significantly higher than the supply. Due to the outdated nature of our power grid, storing electricity on

a large scale is impractical. The demand and supply must always remain balanced. This brings us to demand response. Instead of the electrical providers trying to up their output, customers can lower their demand for electricity, helping to balance the supply and demand equation. That is called Demand Response. Many utility companies actually pay their customers to engage in demand response especially during peak demand times. Some simple ways to engage in demand response are by unplugging electrical units when they aren’t in use, moderating air conditioner use, and turning off all lights during the day.

Here are some terms related to energy consumption and demand response:

1) Power Grid- The power grid is a system that is responsible for delivering electricity to consumers every time they need it. Example: As soon as you plug in your TV the grid sends electricity through wires around neighborhoods, into your home, and eventually into your TV all instantly.

2) Baseload- Energy companies make predictions about our energy use based on past energy use. They use these predictions to then make sure that a minimum amount of electricity is available at all times, even during peak times. That general standard amount of electricity is called the baseload.

3) Peak Usage Time- We discussed this earlier. Peak usage time is when there is a high demand for electricity. Generally this occurs in the afternoon and early evening. It also occurs during extremely hot summer days when the entire state wants to use their air conditioners. This is when demand response is especially effective.

4) Demand- The amount of want for electricity. For example, when you flip the switch to turn on your light, you are demanding electricity.

5) Demand Load- The demand load is the amount of energy the power grid needs to deliver in order to fulfill everyone’s electrical needs. This increases as does the demand, and is high during peak usage times.

6) Demand Response- Like we said earlier, Demand Response is the customers reducing their demand in order to make sure that there is ample supply for other customers. This is highly efficient during peak usage times and can prevent devastating black outs like the one pictured below.

Sources:

1) http://www.enernoc.com/our-resources/term-pages/704-what-is-demand-response

2) http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/demand-response.htm

3) http://www.ci.uri.edu/ciip/Publications/Anthony_DR%20Overview.pdf