DuPage County to join ComEd demand-response program through consultant contract

The DuPage County Public Works Committee on April 15 approved a recommendation to contract with Enterwise Global Technology to enroll the county’s backup-generator capacity in a demand-response program for 06/01/2025–05/31/2026, at an approximate contract cost of $452,048.52.

Staff told the committee the county built a backup-generator facility on the county campus in a multi-million-dollar project (staff said the original investment was about $10,000,000). That generator’s primary purpose is to maintain county operations during power outages; participation in a utility demand-response program is an additional revenue stream.

A facilities staff member explained, “We started going into [the demand-response program] in 2016, and we have made so far to date over a million dollars,” and said payments vary each year based on ComEd’s terms and how often tests or calls occur. Staff described the third-party contractor as necessary because the county does not have internal capacity to manage the program’s reporting and test verification requirements.

Committee members asked for clarification on the program’s purpose and mechanics. Staff responded that ComEd typically conducts an annual load‑shed test; participating institutions are paid based on verified reductions during test or call events. The staff estimate presented at the meeting indicates the program’s payments have helped recover a portion of the generator project cost; staff said the county has not frequently been called into actual load-shedding events but is paid for test performance and occasional calls.

The committee approved the contract recommendation by voice vote; the transcript records the motion as moved, seconded and “Aye.”