FortisBC gas customers in Kelowna can participate in new pilot program to help manage energy use

Aug 28, 2024

Customers in Kelowna can receive rebates through a pilot that helps lower gas demand on the system 

KELOWNA, B.C.—August 28, 2024: As part of its efforts to help customers lower gas use in the winter months, FortisBC Energy Inc. (FortisBC) is inviting customers in Kelowna to participate in a new pilot, the Peak Plan Pilot Program. Building off the success of a similar program to help manage electricity use, FortisBC is looking to replicate the program for its gas in Kelowna customers. These programs can help spread peak energy demand over a longer period of time to reduce the energy that needs to be delivered at a specific time. This helps the system continue to deliver energy to customers while reducing the need to build new infrastructure.

As a critical energy provider of both electricity and gas, FortisBC is working to prepare both systems to meet higher future demand while supporting efforts to lower overall greenhouse gas emissions. In Kelowna, one of Canada’s fastest-growing communities, the demand for energy continues to increase. With this growth, there is a need to increase the amount of available energy.¹ One of the ways FortisBC is addressing this is by introducing load-shifting programs like Power Hours Rewards, specific to electric heating, cooling and electric vehicles, and the Peak Plan Pilot Program, which focuses on gas heating.

“It’s essentially a way to reduce rush-hour traffic on our energy system so we can avoid or defer the need to build a larger energy system or ‘highway’ to keep up,” said Max Mathies, program manager, peak and capacity mitigation at FortisBC. “Many of us have the same idea when we get home from work—adjusting the heat or turning the air conditioning down, cooking dinner, washing dishes, having a hot shower and, for those who have one, charging their electric vehicle. These activities require energy, and, when we all do them at the same time, energy use then spikes on our system. The purpose of these programs is to help spread this energy use over a longer period while ensuring customers are comfortable in their homes.” 

FortisBC is encouraging gas in Kelowna customers to sign up and participate in the Peak Plan Pilot Program. Their feedback will be invaluable as the company looks at various ways to help customers lower their energy use while better managing overall demand their system. The pilot data and participant feedback will also be used to assess and design a possible expanded program in the future.

FortisBC received feedback from participants during the pilot phase of Power Hours Rewards and found 89 per cent of respondents were either likely or highly likely to participate in a future program and 87 per cent would recommend the program to someone they know. With this success, the company launched a full-scale program that all FortisBC electricity customers have the option to join.

The Peak Plan Pilot Program is expected to start for Kelowna gas customers on November 1, 2024. FortisBC is offering sign-up incentives of $50 per connected thermostat plus a $50 post-pilot incentive for customers who reduce their energy use during at least one request period and complete the post-pilot survey. Eligible FortisBC customers can participate in both Power Hours Rewards and the Peak Plan Pilot Program if they have the eligible equipment.

Gas customers in Kelowna who are interested in participating in FortisBC’s Peak Plan Pilot Program can sign up at fortisbc.com/peakplan.

Backgrounder

• For our gas customers across the province, energy use can triple during the colder winter months.² For our electricity customers in B.C.’s Southern Interior, electricity use can increase by approximately 25 per cent on the coldest days of the year.³
• Roughly 250 customers in Kelowna participated in the pilot for Power Hours Rewards to help manage their electricity use during times when demand was at its highest. The program was designed to automatically reduce participant energy use during peak periods that usually occurred between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. This could be turning down the heat or charging their electric vehicle outside of those peak hours. Overall, the pilot was a success and FortisBC launched the Power Hours Rewards Program. Today, all FortisBC residential electricity customers are able to sign up for the program.
• For gas customers in Kelowna to participate in the Peak Plan Pilot Program, they must have one or more of the following devices in their primary residence and have an internet connection to connect it to FortisBC’s partner software upon enrolling in the program: a Google Nest^®, ecobee^®, Honeywell Home^® or Sensi™ smart or Wi-Fi connected thermostat, controlling a gas furnace.
• Participants with thermostats will be provided with advance via email or text message with a request to reduce their energy use, as specified in the application form.
• The pilot for gas customers in Kelowna will run between November 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025.

¹Application for Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity for the Okanagan Capacity Upgrade Project, 2023, page 23.

²Based on average and peak energy use for FortisBC gas customers from 2020 to 2022.

³Based on average and peak energy use for FortisBC electricity customers from 2020 to 2022.

 

Media contact