Utilities & Grid Operators
The Fastest, Lowest-Cost Way to Solve Your Winter Peak (and Summer Parasitic) Load Problem
Across the snow-belt, rooftop heat-cable systems run day and night from November to April, drawing ≈ 1.9 kW per circuit whether snow is present or not. With more than 20 million such buildings nationwide, that “always-on” (or 1970’s thermostatic/timer tech) load wastes roughly 140 TWh every year—more than half of all U.S. solar output.
Powder Watts converts those unmanaged circuits into a shapeable, dispatch-ready Virtual Power Plant (VPP) that sheds load before it ever hits the wires, giving grid operators a new winter-peaking tool no battery can match.
Why Utilities Are Moving Quickly
| Emerging Risk | Current Utility Pain | Powder Watts Solution |
| Winter peaks rising faster than summer peaks as electric heating and EV adoption grow. ISO-NE projects winter will out-peak summer by 2033. | Traditional DR programs were built for hot afternoons, not sub-zero mornings. | Powder Watts permanently sheds 70–90 % of heat-cable load and lets operators Shape and Shift what remains. |
| Single-node constraints: some mountain towns are constrained, with feeders and substations stressed on winter days. | New transformers and lines arrive on multi-year timelines. | Installs in weeks, needs zero new transmission, and can be geo-targeted feeder-by-feeder. |
| Spot-market power during cold snaps can top $200/MWh; some utilities hit $275/MWh on 22 Jan 2025. | Emergency purchases strain budgets and ratepayers. | Guaranteed winter capacity costs < $50 per kW net after rebates—one-quarter the price of spot energy. |
| Battery supply chains remain lithium-constrained; a 4-kWh system still runs $1,000’s a kW. | Storage is essential but scarce and slow to interconnect. | Powder Watts unlocks comparable flexibility with no raw-material risk and no interconnection queue. |
FlexiWatt™ Platform
- Computer vision + weather AI activates cables only when snow or ice is detected and melting is needed. This saves home and business owners thousands, while at the same time relieving grid strain and the need for expensive spot power.
- Sub-metering on every smart switch reports kWh and runtime in real time.
- Secure APIs let the utility Shape, Shift, and Shed load—the first three tenets of DOE’s VPP Liftoff framework (Powder Watts does not perform “Shimmy”).
- No homeowner action needed – simple, easy, and a win-win.
Grid-scale rollout planning: 1+ GW of Dispatchable Winter Savings
| Metric | Value |
| Locations in Tranche 1 | 278 000 |
| Switches per location | 2–10 (homes) • 10–40 + (commercial) |
| Annual savings per switch | 4.3 MWh |
| Total dispatchable capacity (rated) | > 1 GW |
| Grid build-out required | None – installs behind the meter |
Powder Watts rollout will make FlexiWatt the largest energy-efficiency VPP ever launched in the United States, delivering verifiable, behind-the-meter capacity a full winter sooner and more affordably than any wired or storage alternative. Energy dominance can only be achieved with smart new technologies: Micro Nuclear and FlexiWatt (Computer Vision Controlled Smart Load Control), are a winning combo.
Program Structures Utilities Are Deploying
- Customer rebates example: $2,000 dollars per switch, or $1,000 per kW controlled
- Performance-based VPP payments tied to sub-metered load drop and availability
- Targeted Non-Wires Alternatives to defer feeders, transformers, and substations
- REC and CO₂ accounting to meet decarbonization obligations
- Equity carve-outs for disadvantaged communities
All telemetry can be supplied via REST or OpenADR for seamless integration with DERMS/ADMS.
Field Results
- Ski Resorts saw > 90 % reduction in heat-cable energy use and are now expanding resort-wide.
- Thousands of additional installations are underway in Colorado, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, and across the Pacific Northwest through Tri-State and PacifiCorp programs.
- Utilities using Powder Watts see peak-load reductions of ~6–12 kW per residence and 40 kW + per commercial site—while at the same time providing increased building protection via constant monitoring and alerting.
Built for the Nation’s VPP Vision
| Grid Function | Delivered by Powder Watts |
| Shape | Yes – flattens morning/evening peaks |
| Shift | Yes – can move load outside 4–9 p.m. critical window |
| Shed | Yes – eliminates ~70–90 % of demand permanently |
| Shimmy | No – not a frequency-response device |
Partner With Powder Watts
Utilities, co-ops, municipal providers, and CCAs are adopting FlexiWatt™ to:
- Eliminate winter coincident peak at < $50 per kW net cost
- Defer expensive T&D upgrades and avoid costly spot purchases
- Hit IRP, decarbonization, and equity targets with measurable results
- Deploy grid-edge capacity in weeks, not years
Contact us to design a rebate, VPP, or non-wires program tailored to your toughest winter challenges.
Powder Watts
FlexiWatt™ – the simplest way to strengthen the winter grid without wires, lithium, or delay.
Source: Bloomberg US Data Center Outlook, April 2025