Xcel Energy is accepting applications to participate in its 2022 Load Management program starting in April 2022. Applications can be submitted through mid-May 2022. Project applications will be evaluated on a first-come, first-served basis. This site will be the main source of additional information about the program. Xcel Energy is administering this program through an online program tracking system, which can be accessed at www.ecurtail.com/XcelSPS/.
The Xcel Energy Load Management SOP invites commercial class customers (including governmental, non-profit, and institutional customers) receiving distribution-level service to provide on-call, voluntary curtailment of electric consumption during peak demand periods in return for incentive payments. Xcel Energy is offering payments of $35 or $50 per kW curtailed (according to customer commitments, as explained in the table below) for demand reduction delivered by participating customers, in response to requests to reduce load provided with one hour advance notification. Incentive payments are based on delivered demand reductions as verified by Xcel Energy billing data analysis. Customers are not required to produce a specific level of curtailed load; however, customers will only receive payment for the amount of load curtailed.
Xcel Energy offers substantial incentives to program participants with little or no downside risk. Program participants decide how to reduce load in response to the 1-hour notice, so as a participant you maintain control over your facility at all times. There are no penalties associated with non-delivery, so participants assume no financial risk: if you do not deliver, you simply do not receive payment.
The program runs from June 1 through September 30. During this period, customers should be prepared to shed load on weekdays (excluding holidays) between the hours from 12 PM to 8 PM. Participants at the $35/kW level commit to delivering a maximum of 24 hours of load shed across a maximum of six events: participants at the $50/kW level commit to delivering a maximum of 48 hours of load shed across a maximum of twelve events. The maximum duration of any event will be 4 hours, and no event will extend beyond the 12 PM to 8 PM window.
The main goals of the Load Management SOP are to reduce summer peak demand in the Xcel Energy service territory in a cost-effective manner and to help Xcel Energy reach the demand savings goals established by the Texas legislature and Public Utility Commission of Texas regulations.
Payment depends on the number of events in which participating customers commit to provide load reduction and on the amount of load reduction delivered in each event. The following standard incentives rates are applied to the verified peak demand savings achieved across curtailment events:
| Level | # of Events | Max Event Duration | Payment |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 6 | 4 hrs | $35/KW |
| B | 12 | 4 hrs | $50/KW |
The performance incentive is paid on the average of delivered kW demand reduction across all unscheduled events and will be paid by November 15.
Xcel Energy customers are encouraged to become load management Project Sponsors. A sponsor may represent the load at one or more locations. A project sponsor signs up to deliver a specified amount of load reduction either from a single location (Project Site) or by combining multiple locations (Project Sites). Ideally, individual project sites should be capable of delivering 100 kW of load reduction: applications from project sponsors may include individual sites that provide less than 100 kW, as long as the sponsor's application total is at least 100 kW; however, Xcel Energy reserves the right to give preference to larger loads. Project Sponsors can participate in this project through a Five-Step Process described in detail in the Program Manual, which can be accessed by following the program manual link at the top of this page. The five steps are (1) Application, (2) Contracting, (3) Performance (4) Measurement and Verification, and (5) Incentives Payment. A copy of the Standard Offer Contract can also be found in the Program Manual.
Xcel Energy is administering this program through an online program tracking system, which can be accessed at this URL: https://www.ecurtail.com/XcelSPS/. A User Guide for the online tracking system can be found here. The complete Program Manual provides detailed information. For answers to specific questions about your facility, contact Steve Wiese at (737) 236-0255, or by email at swiese@frontierenergy.com.
