Posted: 23 October, 2018. Written by Virginia Graham
RECC has today launched its consumer guide on demand-side response for domestic consumers. The guide explains what demand-side response means and how it works, and lists the sorts of kit in the home that might be part of it. These include smart meters, smart appliances, battery storage systems, electric vehicles that are charged at home and solar PV panels, for example.
Typically an 'aggregator' will offer to manage domestic consumers' electricity generation and consumption, offering to sell any net generation back to the electricity supply company. To maximise this, they will offer 'time of day' tariffs, either fixed or moveable, which incentivise electricity consumption at off-peak times, some even offering additional payments in return for consumers agreeing not to consume at 'critical' peak times.
The guide explains what consumers should think about, and lists 20 questions they should ask, before agreeing to a demand-side response contract. It lists those offers currently available in the domestic consumer market.
RECC published its guidance today to coincide with National Grid's October Power Responsive Flexibility Forum. The Association for Decentralised Energy presented its Code of Conduct for non-domestic consumers at the Forum, ahead of the official launch.