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Smart Grid

Constellation’s VirtuWatt™ Explained in a “Howcast” Video

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Want to learn how our VirtuWatt™ platform works in a simple and engaging manner?

Howcast, known for their high-quality and useful how-to videos, recently put out a short video that clearly explains how our VirtuWatt platform operates in a step-by-step process.

Constellation’s VirtuWatt’s key features include:

  • Energy market access at your fingertips.
  • Provides users with real-time energy consumption data at 1-minute granularity.
  • Offers the ability to export usage data to multiple software platforms.
  • Gives access to real-time pricing and energy cost calculations, which are useful when building a budget and

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5 Business Problems Load Response and Energy Efficiency May Be Able to Solve

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1) High Power Bill Costs

Every year, businesses pay capacity and transmission related charges that account for 20-30% of their total electric bill. Yet, most of these charges are due to using power during several system-wide “peak” hours each year. Your capacity and transmission charges for the following year are based on your energy usage during these system-wide “peak hours.” Wouldn’t it be useful to actually know when those system-wide peak hours occurred so that you can better manage your usage during those periods? Through the Constellation Peak Response program, our team of load response experts will predict the peak setting hours and send you day-ahead email notifications and day-of reminders when these peak hours are expected to occur. These notifications will let you know when you should curtail energy use, which is strictly on a voluntary basis.  Our success in predicting these peak setting hours has saved participating customers money since implementing this program in 2010.…
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Lower Your Power Bill with Rate Response

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Commercial and industrial customers enrolled in a Load Response program typically receive payments from their utility, ISO or curtailment service provider in the form of a check, months after an event has occurred. But, wouldn’t it be nice to see immediate benefits and be able to manage your energy strategy in a more comprehensive way?

Our latest energy option, Rate Response, does just that. By combining electricity supply with Load Response products, customers can choose to receive a reduced rate on their electricity supply throughout the year or a…
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What is “Smart Grid”?

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Consumers are mostly puzzled when they hear the term “smart grid.” According to Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative’s (SGCC) latest ‘State of the Consumer Report’, approximately 75% of consumers either have never heard the term smart grid or don’t know what it means (Source: SmartGridNews).

Since Constellation is active in supporting smart grid advancement, we’re offering some information about the topic and how it can best be leveraged to benefit your business.…
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Constellation Announces First Integrated Competitive Electricity Supply and Load Response Offering

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We’re pleased to announce the launch of Constellation Peak Response, a program which allows Constellation commercial and industrial (C&I) electricity supply customers to reduce future capacity and transmission costs by lowering electricity consumption during the hours of peak demand.

Capacity and transmission charges typically account for 20 percent to 30 percent of a C&I customer’s overall electricity cost. Capacity charges ensure that there is an adequate excess supply of electricity to meet the highest levels of grid demand, while transmission charges cover the cost of transmitting energy over the grid from a generating facility to local utility distribution facilities.  In most regions, these charges are based on several hours each year when the grid is at its highest level of demand.…
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Automating Load Response Programs Via Web Application [Podcast]

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Last week, I had the privilege of joining Lisa Cohn of RealEnergyWriters on a podcast to discuss Constellation’s energy management solution, VirtuWatt™.

VirtuWatt™ is an online web application which integrates real-time metering and other smart grid technologies to help maximize the benefits of automated load control. Recently, we released the next evolution to our VirtuWatt™ solution called VirtuWatt™ Link. With this new product, businesses and organizations can use their facilities’ existing automation systems to manage load curtailment based on energy market signals and pre-set strategies, without needing to install redundant building controls hardware.…
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