UNLV - Decreasing the Peak Demand in the Desert Southwest
Aug. 31, 2013
U.S. Department of Energy
This project demonstrates dramatic peak demand reduction in residential new construction through distributed generation, distributed energy storage, energy efficiency, direct load control and price-responsive load control. In cooperation with a nationally recognized home builder, a green field development of 185 homes has been built in which each home was designed for optimal energy efficiency and electrically metered with the most advanced technology available. Efficiency improvement over conventionally designed homes has exceeded 45% and the goal of 65% efficiency is expected when storage batteries are adopted by home owners. The multi-faceted approach to effective and efficient electricity use includes solar photovoltaic systems, direct and price-responsive load control and peak load reduction strategies. Most importantly, UNLV is directing this development along with the local utility with cutting edge metering and communication technologies to assess the cooperative behavior of residences in the goal of electricity conservation. An Intelligent Agent software system has been developed to integrate Internet and communications with home owners that weaves customer preferences into the energy savings strategy in a way to that is intended to excite and engage residential customers in the demand management process.