Customer Impact Evaluation for the 2009 Southern California Edison Participating Load Pilot

The 2009 Participating Load Pilot Customer Impact Evaluation provides evidence that short duration demand response events which cycle off air conditioners for less than thirty minutes in a hot, dry environment do not lead to a significant degradation in the comfort level of residents participating in the program. This was investigated using: (1) Analysis of interval temperature data collected from inside residences of select program participants; and (2) Direct and indirect customer feedback from surveys designed and implemented by Southern California Edison at the conclusion of the program season. There were 100 indoor temperature monitors that were acquired by LBNL for this study that transmitted temperature readings at least once per hour with corresponding timestamps during the program season, June-October, 2009. Recorded temperatures were transferred from the onsite telemetry devices to a mesh network, stored, and then delivered to KEMA for analysis. Following an extensive data quality review, temperature increases during each of the thirty demand response test events were calculated for each device. The results are as follows: (1) Even for tests taking place during outside temperatures in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit, over 85 percent of the devices measured less than a 0.5 degree Fahrenheit temperature increase indoors during the duration of the event. (2) For the increases that were observed, none was more than 5 degrees and it was extremely rare for increases to be more than 2 degrees. At the end of the testing season SCE and KEMA designed and conducted a survey of the a facilities and public works managers and approximately 100 customers feedback survey to assess the extent the PLP events were noticed or disrupted the comfort level of participants. While only a small sampling of 3 managers and 16 customer surveys were completed, their responses indicate: (1) No customer reported even a moderate level of discomfort from the cycling-off of their air conditioners during test events; and (2) Very few customers noticed any of the thirty events at all. The results of this study suggest that the impacts on comfort from short-duration interruptions of air-conditioners, even in very hot climates, are for the most part very modest, if they are even noticed at all. Still, we should expect that these impacts will increase with longer interruptions of air-conditioning. By the same token, we should also expect that they will be less significant in cooler climates

Customer Impact Evaluation for the 2009 Southern California Edison Participating Load Pilot

The 2009 Participating Load Pilot Customer Impact Evaluation provides evidence that short duration demand response events which cycle off air conditioners for less than thirty minutes in a hot, dry environment do not lead to a significant degradation in the comfort level of residents participating in the program. This was investigated using: (1) Analysis of interval temperature data collected from inside residences of select program participants; and (2) Direct and indirect customer feedback from surveys designed and implemented by Southern California Edison at the conclusion of the program season. There were 100 indoor temperature monitors that were acquired by LBNL for this study that transmitted temperature readings at least once per hour with corresponding timestamps during the program season, June-October, 2009. Recorded temperatures were transferred from the onsite telemetry devices to a mesh network, stored, and then delivered to KEMA for analysis. Following an extensive data quality review, temperature increases during each of the thirty demand response test events were calculated for each device. The results are as follows: (1) Even for tests taking place during outside temperatures in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit, over 85 percent of the devices measured less than a 0.5 degree Fahrenheit temperature increase indoors during the duration of the event. (2) For the increases that were observed, none was more than 5 degrees and it was extremely rare for increases to be more than 2 degrees. At the end of the testing season SCE and KEMA designed and conducted a survey of the a facilities and public works managers and approximately 100 customers feedback survey to assess the extent the PLP events were noticed or disrupted the comfort level of participants. While only a small sampling of 3 managers and 16 customer surveys were completed, their responses indicate: (1) No customer reported even a moderate level of discomfort from the cycling-off of their air conditioners during test events; and (2) Very few customers noticed any of the thirty events at all. The results of this study suggest that the impacts on comfort from short-duration interruptions of air-conditioners, even in very hot climates, are for the most part very modest, if they are even noticed at all. Still, we should expect that these impacts will increase with longer interruptions of air-conditioning. By the same token, we should also expect that they will be less significant in cooler climates