Air conditioning battery program for renters could help cities manage grid stress during heat waves
The renter-friendly program uses plug-in batteries to run window air conditioners during peak hours and could cut grid strain without new power plants.
- Con Edison is expanding a plug-in battery pilot program to more than 1,000 homes in New York City this summer, allowing residents to power air conditioning units offline during peak demand periods.
- Andrew Wang, chief executive officer of Every Electric, described the device as a "souped up version of the power bank" that charges during off-peak hours to power AC units when demand spikes.
- For renters like Bianca Pasternack, who cannot install rooftop solar panels, the program offers accessible grid relief without requiring permanent infrastructure changes or special permissions.
- The pilot is growing from roughly 200 kilowatts of flexible capacity last year to 2 megawatts this summer, with participants earning cash rebates including a $100 gift card one resident received.
- These systems represent a broader shift toward "virtual power plants," according to Kevin Brehm, a manager at RMI, who noted such programs coordinate small energy devices to reduce grid strain and emissions.
21 Articles
21 Articles
Plug-in batteries for your AC? NYC pilot offers environmental, and cash, rewards
A renter-friendly pilot program in New York City is aiming to reduce strain on the power grid while helping customers with power bills. It uses plug-in batteries that can power air conditioners offline during peak demand, helping take pressure off the grid at its most stressed moments while still keeping residents cool. The devices, about the size of a microwave, charge when electricity demand is low and then run window AC units for a few hours …
Associated Press News
Air conditioning battery program for renters could help cities manage grid stress during heat waves
A renter-friendly pilot program in New York City is aiming to reduce strain on the power grid while helping customers with power bills.
NEW YORK — When a heat wave arrives, millions of air conditioners are turned on at the same time, which overloads the power grid and raises the risk of blackouts, as well as residents’ electricity bills. To ease that pressure, power companies can ask customers to do something that many will probably not do: raise air conditioning a few degrees.
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