When and how much electricity is consumed matters for the environment. The electricity you consume is likely to be cleaner at noon when the sun is shining on solar panels than in the early evening when the grid may rely more on fossil fuel generators. This is why demand response programs can help electricity customers understand when to conserve electricity to maximize savings and better help the environment and the grid.

In order to understand the most effective demand response programs designs, the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation (LCI) has partnered with OhmConnect, Inc, a clean technology company. Users who register for free on OhmConnect’s website can participate in demand response events and earn money simply by reducing electricity consumption at key times.

LCI is conducting a multi-year study, funded by a California Energy Commission grant of more than $2 million. This study seeks to understand which type of incentives, messages and strategies result in the greatest action from residential electricity customers, and how this varies across social characteristics.

The first half of this study concluded in 2017 in partnership with Chai Energy, and focused on the effectiveness of different incentives. Building off this, LCI is now analyzing the effectiveness of various pricing strategies for increasing customer participation during demand response events through the new partnership with OhmConnect, Inc.

The results from these analyses will inform policymakers and electric utilities on future demand response program designs.