Residential Demand Response Program (RDRP)

Lead Proponent

Yukon Energy Corporation

Project Background

At -40°C, electricity is not a luxury; it is a necessity. With the Yukon Integrated System being an isolated grid, ensuring there is enough electrical capacity, particularly winter capacity, is imperative to Yukoners' safety and security.

As demand increases in the territory, demand side management is being looked at as one of the tools to help provide more dependable capacity. It would also seek to mitigate some of the need for rental diesel generators currently used to meet peak demand on the coldest winter days and during emergencies. This would support electrification, energy security, and grid modernization plans while the Yukon brings more renewable options online, reducing reliance on diesel-based generation.

A first of its kind in the Territories, Yukon Energy’s Residential Demand Response Program, or “Peak Smart pilot”, was a two-year pilot program focused in and around the area of Whitehorse, Yukon. ​The program aimed to shift morning and evening winter peak demands for power by using utility-controlled electric baseboard heater thermostats and hot water tank controllers.

Results

Peak Smart demonstrated that demand response can reduce winter peak demands for power, and the amount of diesel generation capacity needed to generate electricity, during these times to keep Yukoners safe and warm.

Participants were provided with internet-enabled electric baseboard heater thermostats and hot water tank controllers, allowing Yukon Energy to set back the temperature of their electric baseboard heaters and/or hot water heaters by a few degrees during peak times of electricity consumption. 18 demand response events were run using the electric baseboard heater thermostats and hot water tank controllers across two winter seasons with up to 95 participants participating in at least one event during the pilot. An unexpected withdrawal by the pilot’s device and software led to an early conclusion of the program. Furthermore, issued with data available from the hot water tank controllers limited the scope of analysis to only the electric baseboard heater thermostats. Results indicate that by reducing the setpoint temperature by 3°C, demand savings of 0.24 kW/device or 0.65 kW/home were achieved, which are nearly two-to-three times higher than the peak reductions achieved from a 1°C setback (0.1 kW/device or 0.2 kW/home). To maintain adequate comfort levels in participant homes, a 3°C setback was always preceded by a preheating period. Preheating strategies proved to be successful at maintaining comfort levels in participating homes and avoiding sharp snapback effects after DR events. 82% of participants reported they did not notice any temperature changes during events, and none indicated the changes they did notice caused discomfort or forced them to voluntarily opt-out of the event.

Based on the pilot findings, and additional information from the pilot program final report, YEC was able to provide a prediction of 1kW reduction per home for future programs including both thermostats and hot water tank controllers.

The Peak Smart Pilot provided measurable demand reduction and indicated strong public support for such programs, successfully demonstrating the possibilities of demand response programs in the territory.

Benefits to Canada

Marketing and outreach activities for the program, including in-person outreach education at local events and door-to-door knocking, increased the profile of demand side management initiatives in the Yukon. These opportunities provided an avenue for the public to engage in discussion with utility representatives and ask questions about the intended outcomes and impacts of the program on individual homes and the system as a whole.

Participants had access to greater transparency regarding their personal energy usage, as the wifi-enabled devices provided through the program allowed for remote monitoring of temperature and energy consumption.

Results of the pilot validated DSM as a potential option for Yukon Energy to increase winter dependable capacity and reduce the total number of diesel generators needed to meet increasing peak demand and support Federal and territorial government’s efforts to meet heating electrification targets within the Yukon while supporting grid stability and energy security. The pilot equally showed Yukoners are open to demand-side management in their homes.

Through the pilot, Yukon Energy as an organization gained valuable insight and experience in the development and operation of DSM initiatives. It also sparked the creation and training of a dedicated Demand Side Management position within the resource planning department at Yukon Energy to oversee the Peak Smart Pilot and subsequent programs, allowing Yukon Energy to invest further resources into the development of a demand side management strategy and portfolio.

Next Steps

Since the conclusion of the Peak Smart Pilot project, Yukon Energy has launched a full-scale residential demand response program, Peak Smart Home, that includes electric baseboard heater thermostats and hot water tank controllers. The new, full-scale residential demand response program builds upon the successes and lessons learned during the pilot and is part of a broader suite of utility-led DSM initiatives, as planned for in Yukon Energy’s 10-Year Renewable Electricity Plan, that will include thermostats, hot water tank controllers, EV chargers, air-source heat pumps, and commercial & institutional loads. Costs of DSM initiatives for 2023 and 2024 were included in Yukon Energy’s latest General Rate Application submitted to the Yukon Utilities Board in 2023 and approved by the Yukon Utilities Board in 2024. This represents the first regulatory approval of a utility-run demand response program in the Territories. The development of this new DSM portfolio, and the recent regulatory approval of related costs, would not have been possible without the successes and lessons learned from the Peak Smart Pilot.