Press Release: Belmont Light (MA) partners with Virtual Peaker on residential demand response rewards program

For Immediate Release                                                                                      

July 19, 2019 

Contact:  Aidan Leary, Belmont Light                                                                                                         

(617) 993-2809 

Download the PDF here.

BELMONT, MA – Belmont Municipal Light Department (Belmont Light) is thrilled to announce an innovative partnership with Virtual Peaker to create the new Peak Reduction Rewards Program. Using Virtual Peaker’s platform, the program provides Belmont Light customers with an online portal to monitor and manage WiFi-enabled smart home devices and rewards them for reduced energy usage during peak periods.

Belmont Light and Virtual Peaker’s pilot program launched earlier this summer. Designed for owners of electric vehicle chargers and smart thermostats, the pilot program allows these residents to test the platform before the full program that includes a larger suite of devices rolls out to all residential and eligible commercial customers.  Participants in the program can monitor energy usage of Wi-fi enabled devices through an online portal after registering them through Virtual Peaker. After residents register their devices, Belmont Light identifies peak electricity usage events and requests customers to reduce the usage of the connected devices during those times.  When participants reduce usage during peak events, they earn bill credits for each enrolled device. As more customers engage with the program, Belmont Light expects to see an impactful reduction of peak supply costs that contribute significantly to the utility’s annual power supply expenses.

Belmont Light views the potential program benefits as a manifold. The new program serves as a tool for encouraging customers to recognize and change consumption behavior in a way that mutually benefits the customer and the utility. Additionally, the Peak Reduction Rewards Program’s focus on smart home technologies allows Belmont Light to optimize peak reduction opportunities while keeping up with its customers’ appetite for advancing home technology. Through this program, the utility hopes to make a positive connection with customers and build trust in the long run.

The program originated from Belmont Light’s search for a demand response software solution that would be compatible with a variety of technologies and suitable for residential customers. Many of the options the utility encountered before partnering with Virtual Peaker catered only to a single device type and/or only to large commercial and industrial customers.

Virtual Peaker, headquartered in Louisville, KY, has partnered with the most innovative utilities across the country, including Green Mountain Power, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, and Austin Energy. “Belmont Light is one of the most forward-thinking utilities in the entire country.” Says Bill Burke, Virtual Peaker’s Founder and CEO. “To be able to partner with them on such an innovative program is a real thrill.”

The Peak Reduction Rewards Program is one part of Belmont Light’s multi-faceted, broad-scale goal of becoming a trusted energy advisor for all of its customers.  Belmont Light General Manager, Christopher Roy, says that the utility’s shift to an advisor role is in response to a rapidly increasing need to have trustworthy sources of information.

“As Belmont Light pursues our long-term plan of strategic electrification, we need to ensure that we are doing so in an effective and responsible manner,” said Roy.  “Virtual Peaker gives us the ability to expand our offerings to customers and empower them to make informed decisions about their energy use.”

To learn more about Belmont Light’s program with Virtual Peaker, contact Belmont Light Energy Specialist Ben Thivierge at bthivierge@belmontlight.com or visit www.BelmontLight.com

About Belmont Light:  Belmont Light has been powering the Belmont community since 1898 by delivering safe, reliable electric power service, embracing new technology, and providing superior customer service.  Belmont Light maintains a focus on being a leading utility by providing an effective balance between operational reliability, community service, environmental stewardship, and financial stability.

About Virtual Peaker: Virtual Peaker is a cloud-based Distributed Energy Management System (DERMS) that is helping utilities build the grid of the future. Using the internet-of-things, Virtual Peaker connects to any in-home smart device to allow utilities to run residential demand response programs, develop new revenue streams and exceed their customer engagement goals. Virtual Peaker is based in Louisville, KY.