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Sustainable Westchester pitches grid-rewards program to Greenburgh residents
Summary
A Sustainable Westchester representative described an electricity 'grid rewards' program that pays residents and institutions to reduce usage during peak demand, citing Mount Kisco and New Rochelle examples and urging signups before April.
Lauren Royce of Sustainable Westchester presented the group’s 'grid rewards' program to the Greenburgh Town Board and meeting attendees, describing how residents and institutions can receive payments for lowering electricity use during peak demand events.
Royce said the program seeks to reduce reliance on 'peaker' power plants, which are expensive to run and sited in environmental-justice communities. "Instead of Con Edison paying a peaker power plant millions of dollars to turn on, they could pay us as the residents to create a virtual power plant by reducing our electricity usage," Royce said.
She provided local examples: Mount Kisco reportedly earned $8,000 last summer for a small number of events, and New Rochelle schools received an aggregate check reported at $70,000 for a few days of reduced use. Royce encouraged residents to enroll before April so they could participate during the coming summer season and distributed flyers and a QR code for sign-ups.
The presentation was informational; the board did not take immediate action but expressed appreciation for the outreach and asked staff to share program materials with residents.
