San Joaquin County - PG&E SmartAC Program
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Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced an expansion of its SmartAC from a roll-out phase of 5,000 customers in San Joaquin County to 25,000 customers throughout Central and Northern California. SmartAC uses a device installed on a customer's air conditioner or programmable thermostat to temporarily cut power consumption from the air conditioning system when energy supplies are strained. On these peak demand days, PG&E remotely activates the SmartAC device, which automatically adjusts the air conditioner's power settings intermittently over several hours. Customers who enroll in the voluntary program will receive a $25 payment as a thank you for participating. By 2010, PG&E hopes to enroll up to 400,000 customers in the SmartAC program - enough to conserve an estimated 300 megawatts on high-demand days.