Green Mountain Power pilots Sun Match program aimed at lower income customers

Green Mountain Power (GMP) is piloting a new program called “Sun Match,” to provide solar energy benefits to low- and moderate-income customers without needing to build their own system. The Sun Match Pilot will offer up to 500 eligible customers the opportunity to sign up for a new solar rate, and encourage energy use at times when solar is plentiful via a new customer-centric energy app. GMP is using an existing solar array, which allows for participants to have access to that generation to realize savings. 

Over the course of a year, the average customer in the program will save about $150, and the amount can be even more if additional energy use is shifted to the daytime hours, when there is a lot of solar.  The savings will appear as a bill credit, and customers can opt out at any time. To be eligible, customers must meet the eligibility requirements for seasonal fuel assistance and have a gross household income at or below 185% of the federal poverty level.

The program will operate via LO3 Energy‘s Pando software, which enables new compensation models for renewable energy assets. Pando will help GMP’s customers subscribe to solar and optimize their savings by aligning their energy use with the sunniest periods.

“We’re thrilled to further our partnership with Green Mountain Power, a progressive utility at the forefront of the clean energy transition,” says Bill Collins, CEO of LO3 Energy. “Pando’s platform means customers can easily participate in renewable energy without upfront costs or long-term commitments, and can get information they need to shift their usage to solar hours and save more when it makes sense for them.”

Pando provides GMP customers with a mobile app that:

• Displays their energy use history and summary of their savings
• Gives customers a forecast of solar energy 1-3 days ahead to highlight opportunities to save
• Makes suggestions on how customers can shift their energy use to save more money and take better advantage of renewable resources, such as times when solar is most abundant

Pando provides utilities in general a comprehensive web dashboard that displays important information such as:

• How many customers are enrolled in their renewable programs
• Participating customer usage charted against renewable energy availability
• Effectiveness of alerts to inspire customers to shift their energy use to match renewable availability
• Overall savings for participating customers

Pando ultimately aims to encourage greater renewable energy adoption by making it easier and more affordable to embrace the benefits of solar.

Tags: software