Frequently Asked Questions

    What is energy demand management?
    Energy demand management is the process of adjusting your electricity use in response to changes in the supply of electricity. This helps to ensure that the demand for electricity equals the supply of electricity and the grid is balanced – vital to maintaining power supplies.

    Why is balancing the grid important?
    Electricity cannot be stored economically, so at any point in time, the supply and demand for electricity must be equal.  National Grid must constantly monitor and adjust the supply of electricity to maintain this balance.  Currently this is mainly achieved by operating power stations at spare capacity and adjusting the supply of electricity to meet demand. This approach is inefficient, costly and polluting.

    What solutions do you offer?
    Open Energi offers a complete range of energy demand management solutions, including Open Dynamic DemandTM. This patented technology is unique to Open Energi and provides National Grid with the fastest available response to grid imbalances. As a result, it also offers energy users the highest revenue generating potential.

    How much can I earn?
    National Grid rewards companies that are able to alter their energy demand in order to provide the balance between supply and demand that is essential to keep electricity flowing. Open Energi provides the National Grid with a grid balancing service, and shares the revenues from this with our customers. The amount of revenue generated varies according to the solution provided.  We will work with you to identify suitable equipment and commercialise your energy loads in the most efficient and profitable way.

    What is Open Dynamic DemandTM?
    Open Dynamic DemandTM is an energy demand management solution unique to Open Energi that reacts instantaneously to second-by-second changes in the balance between supply and demand on the grid. It makes subtle adjustments to the demand for electricity by automatically altering the timing of an appliance’s electrical consumption. When a significant number of units are fitted with the technology, an automatic electricity “balancing service” is created, reducing demand when there is a supply shortage and vice versa.

    Open Dynamic DemandTM is ideal for use with stored energy devices such as refrigerators, heating and ventilation systems, air conditioning units, water heaters and industrial processes. The consumption of electricity of these types of appliances is not time critical, because although they need energy, as long as they operate between expected limits, such as temperature, it does not matter precisely when that energy is used. Because Open Dynamic DemandTM provides National Grid with the fastest available response to grid imbalances, it also offers energy users the highest revenue generating potential.

    Will we have to change how or when we use our equipment?
    No, Open Dynamic DemandTM is a completely autonomous solution that requires no behavioural change from the user and has no impact on equipment performance.

    How does it benefit the environment?
    In the UK, energy demand management has the ability to reduce CO2 emissions by almost 2 million tonnes a year, by displacing the partly-loaded, coal-fired power stations currently used to help balance the grid. It also facilitates the deployment of more intermittent renewable generation such as wind and solar power, by helping National Grid to manage the peaks and troughs in supply inherent in renewables.

    How much will it cost?
    The cost of implementing energy demand management varies depending on the solution. We offer a range of installation and software options to provide energy users with a share of the revenue received from National Grid.