Jaipur discom first in India to deploy ADR for household peak-load control

Jaipur Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (JVVNL) has become the first power distribution company (discom) in the country to use automated demand response (ADR) technology to manage household electricity demand during peak hours, a senior company official said.

 

The programme is being implemented in partnership with technology firm Flock Energy, which provides the ADR platform. Under a pilot currently underway, the discom is installing free smart internet-of-things (IoT) devices on the air-conditioners of around 2,000 domestic consumers in Jaipur's Vaishali Nagar, Mansarovar and Malviya Nagar areas.

 

Based on the pilot's findings, JVVNL will assess a wider rollout across its licence area.

 

“The initiative is the first of its kind by any distribution utility in India. Its premise is simple: a stronger grid and a lower electricity bill should not be competing interests for a household,” the official said.

 

According to Arti Dogra, chairman of Rajasthan discoms and managing director of JVVNL, the programme seeks to reduce peak demand without compromising consumer comfort. “For too long, demand management has meant asking consumers to do without. We have flipped that idea. This programme protects consumer comfort and their wallet while also supporting grid reliability,” she said.

 

The ADR system works through a smart plug fitted into a household socket and a second device attached to the air conditioner. The devices connect to JVVNL’s grid management system through the consumer’s wi-fi network.

 

When grid demand reaches peak levels, the system automatically raises the air conditioner’s temperature setting by one degree while maintaining comfort levels. “The adjustment is small enough to go unnoticed, but across thousands of homes it adds up,” Dogra said.

 

According to JVVNL, a one-degree temperature increase can reduce an air conditioner’s electricity consumption by 3-6 per cent when operated for six to eight hours a day. Across around 2,000 participating households, the utility expects the programme to reduce peak demand by up to one megawatt.

 

Participating consumers are also expected to save nearly 6 per cent on the electricity consumed by their air-conditioners. The devices are being provided free of cost.

 

“I did not have to change anything in my home. The cooling feels the same, but I am told my bill will be lower and the supply steadier. It is rare to be offered something that helps me and the city at once,” said Dinesh Agarwal, a participating consumer from Jaipur’s Mansarovar area.