Technologies such as rooftop solar, smart thermostats and energy efficiency measures have given customers more power to control their energy usage and potentially reduce their costs. As more emerging technologies, such as energy storage devices, become commercially viable, they will continue to change how customers interact with us.
By being proactive and working with our customers to identify and respond to their changing needs, we remain well positioned to deliver value. And by providing customers the opportunity to manage their energy and peak demands, we can expand the use and understanding of load-management technologies, encourage customers to use energy during off-peak hours and better align with solar production and system-peak conditions. Taking these innovations to scale isn’t just good for customers and the energy grid, it will help us achieve our bold Clean Energy Commitment.
Customer Programs
Take Charge AZ. In 2018, we launched an innovative pilot program encouraging electric vehicle (EV) adoption by providing charging stations throughout Arizona. Through this program, we will install and own EV charging equipment at various workplace, fleet and multifamily communities, enabling us to gain knowledge that will help facilitate the electrification of the transportation sector. As of year-end 2021, more than 100 sites have been energized since program inception with over 60 sites and 250 plugs energized in 2021. This has enabled charging at businesses, workplaces and municipalities within APS service territory.
Solar Communities. In 2018 we launched the Solar Communities program. This program makes solar and its clean-energy benefits available to limited- and moderate-income customers, as well as governments, schools and nonprofits. While the program is currently full, as of year-end, 2021, the program has resulted in the following installations since the programs inception:
- 684 limited- and moderate-income household installations
- 15 multifamily systems
- 22 nonprofits, Title I schools and rural or government buildings
Partnerships.To further demonstrate our commitment to the communities we serve, APS partnered with some customers that have participated in the Take Charge AZ and Solar Communities programs to have solar-covered parking canopies and EV charging stations available on-site. These partners include Human Services Campus, the Town of Florence, The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and Pinal County.
Rewards Programs. Our industry-leading and award-winning demand response, energy storage, and load management programs incentivize customers to adopt advanced technologies in their homes to help consume electricity at midday when solar energy is plentiful, and to conserve power in the late afternoon and early evening when it is in greatest demand and thus costs more. The APS Rewards program includes battery storage (Storage Rewards) and helps to harness the use of thermal storage (Reserve Rewards) through smart water heaters, and smart thermostats (Cool Rewards).
Through our Cool Rewards program, more than 57,000 residential smart thermostats were enrolled, as of the end of January 2022. Customers benefit from incentives, discounts and energy-savings options for voluntarily conserving energy. The program has a capability of shedding more than 80 megawatts of energy from APS’ smart grid. This shift is just one of the strategies and innovative solutions for our customers to collaborate with us to reduce carbon emissions to meet our clean energy goals.
Learn more about our Rewards program accomplishments in our 2021 DSM Annual Report.
Energy Efficiency Programs. With traditional energy efficiency measures such as LED light bulbs and energy-efficient appliances commonplace, we are pursuing the next generation of energy efficiency. The next generation of energy efficiency measures and programs offered for the benefit of our customers include:
- Rate-optimized smart thermostats to maximize on-peak energy use patterns
- Connected pool pump pilot that couples energy savings options with potential load shifting and load management
- EV-ready pre-wiring, and connected water heating in the Residential New Construction program
- Increased funding for the Limited Income Weatherization program, along with specialized home energy reports focused on low-cost and no-cost energy savings tips and program information
- Standby truck refrigeration, electric forklifts and airport electrification incentives
- Residential Energy Storage Pilot collects battery performance data and evaluates the technology capability to provide grid support
- Residential HVAC load shifting pilot optimizes thermostat operation
The energy efficiency standard (EES) set by the Arizona Corporation Commission, requires utilities to achieve cumulative savings equivalent to 22% of 2020 retail sales, which we did accomplish in 2021. Our portfolio of energy efficiency programs provided approximately 319,328 MWh of energy savings for 2021. That is enough energy to power more than 26,352 typical Arizona households for an entire year. Since 2005, the lifetime energy savings from our energy efficiency programs have avoided approximately 23.7 million metric tons of carbon emissions.
APS also continues to provide support to customers adversely affected by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021 DSM plan was designed to assist:
- Higher funding for limited-income weatherization projects
- Nonprofit organizations and agencies that provide community health and human services
- Schools, historic facilities and other cultural sites that are important to the quality of life for Arizonans
- APS's Trade Allies that provide energy services, as long as they can do the work in a safe manner
- Local small businesses continue operating through the economic impacts of this pandemic
- Increased HVAC incentives
- Mobile app videoconferencing technology to enable trained professionals to conduct virtual home energy audits to identify energy saving opportunities without the need to enter customer homes
Learn more about our Energy Efficiency program accomplishments in our 2021 DSM Annual Report
Recognitions. As we continue to design programs to meet our customer need, we received the following industry awards in 2021:
- 2021 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year Award for excellence | Energy efficiency and program delivery
- 2021 Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) Power Delivery & Utilization Transfer Award | Identification of key electrification opportunities in the utility service territories by novel application of electrification knowledge base, analytical tools, and robust methods
- Energy System Integration Group (ESIG)
Excellence Award | Leadership in the integration of DER into system planning and operation
- Finalist 2021 Arizona Forward Environmental Excellence Award - Climate Action Solutions | Driving Energy Innovation Forward - APS Solar Communities and Take Charge AZ
