Demand-Side Management Programs

Trilliant provides utilities with the software and communications infrastructure required to provide both consumer-choice and utility-controlled demand-side management (DSM) programs. Trilliant supports DSM programs that include:

• Real-Time Energy Information. Trilliant’s DSM solutions enable a utility to distribute real-time energy information directly to residences and businesses. As a result, energy users can see their current demand and pricing as well as historical energy consumption data, where demand and consumption information comes directly from each consumer’s electric meters and pricing comes from the utility, both via the SecureMesh Communications Network.
• Consumer Choice of Energy Usage. Trilliant’s DSM solutions make it easy to roll out Critical Peak Pricing (CPP) programs, letting consumers actively conserve energy during CPP events that are either scheduled or initiated on a peak-load basis.
• Utility Control of Demand Peaks. Trilliant lets a utility directly control electric usage during peak demand periods. During such periods, consumers who sign up for demand-side management programs agree to allow the utility to turn off or cycle high energy-use appliances like pool pumps, central air conditioning in the summer, or water heaters and electric heating in the winter.

The UnitySuite Platform and UnitySuite DSM applications offer an open architecture with a SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol) API to permit seamless integration with existing utility applications. With Trilliant, a utility can invest in a single network with a single software suite at the head-end to manage demand across multiple dimensions.

Granular Control Throughout the DSM Program

Trilliant’s DSM solutions allow a utility to manage their DSM programs at a level of detail previously unattainable. Various different DSM programs can be trialed and their results analyzed at a fine-grained level to determine the optimal mix of program features. During rollout, programs can be introduced by usage type, by the appliance type to be controlled, by specific neighborhoods, postal codes, or substations, or by practically any desired criteria.

After a program’s introduction, a utility can track the results over time, better understanding the program’s impact on overall demand. For example, Trilliant demand-side management solutions enable monitoring of where load shedding has been most effective or which consumers have most often overridden the controls.