At 6 p.m. on a recent chilly Tuesday, Jim Sullivan’s thermostat in his Maple Valley home automatically turned down to 60 degrees — not because he set it, but because his utility adjusted it down 4 degrees during a “rush hour” event of high energy demand.
In recent years, utilities across the state — including Seattle City Light, PSE, Snohomish County PUD and Tacoma Power — have introduced one or more demand response programs like this that incentivize customers to shift their electricity use by a few hours.
Remotely controlled thermostats like Sullivan’s. Water heaters that warm up before people get home from work. Electric vehicles set to charge at night. Home batteries that supply power to the grid in certain hours. Variable rates for electricity…