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.
Source: Bloomberg US Data Center Outlook, April 2025
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
- AI + Computer Vision: Activates heat cables only when snow or ice is detected—no wasted energy.
- Real-Time Monitoring: Smart switches track kWh and runtime at the circuit level.
- Utility Control: Secure APIs enable Shape, Shift, and Shed (DOE VPP-aligned).
- Hands-Off for Homeowners: Fully automated, zero effort—saves money and supports the grid.
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 |
Scalable Impact
The Powder Watts rollout will make FlexiWatt™ the largest energy-efficiency virtual power plant (VPP) ever launched in the U.S.—delivering verifiable, behind-the-meter capacity a full winter sooner and at a fraction of the cost of storage or grid upgrades.
Smart load control like FlexiWatt™ achieves the same grid impact—faster, cheaper, and with far less risk—than traditional infrastructure or emerging generation technologies supporting the Nation’s need for energy dominance.
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.
Results
- 90%+ Energy Reductionat ski resorts—now expanding site-wide.
- Thousands of Installsunderway across CO, UT, MT, WY, and the Pacific Northwest via Tri-State and PacifiCorp.
- 6–12 kW Peak Reductionper home and 40+ kW per commercial site—plus enhanced building protection through continuous monitoring and alerts.
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.