Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP)

Overview

Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP) for businesses

Get paid $2/kWh from PG&E for reducing your electricity use during an emergency event.

​​To reduce the risks of rotating electric outages, the State of California began a program that pays registered commercial customers—like you—when you reduce energy usage during certain grid emergencies.

Program Details

How the ELRP programs works

The Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP) pays registered customers $2/kWh for using less electricity during a requested load reduction period. 

These short periods are called “Load Reduction Events.” Events can be called on any day between 4 PM and 9 PM from May through October. 

You will not be asked to reduce your load for more than a cumulative total of 60 hours in one calendar year. You don’t have to participate in every load reduction event, if it doesn’t work for your business at that time. 

There is no penalty for failing to reduce your load during an ELRP event, so this program offers the upside of being paid to reduce your usage when possible.

If you’re curious about how heat waves impact the electric grid, what PCE is doing to mitigate these impacts, and how you can prepare your business for a heat-induced grid emergency, watch the video above.

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