Comverge Client Central Hudson Gas & Electric Recognized for Superior Operational Results with Peak Load Management Alliance Program Pacesetter Award

NORCROSS, GA--(Marketwired - April 05, 2017) - Comverge, Inc., the leading provider of cloud-based demand response and energy efficiency solutions for electric utilities, congratulates Central Hudson Gas & Electric for its Peak Perks program receiving the PLMA Program Pacesetter award. The award recognizes outstanding demand response programs and was given out at the Peak Load Management Alliance (PLMA) Spring Conference in Nashville, TN.

Superior Operational Results
Central Hudson's Peak Perks innovative targeted demand management program was designed to offset 16 megawatts (MW) of anticipated peak load growth in three distinct zones. Since the program focuses on specific zones versus an entire service territory, it requires high levels of penetration in order to achieve load objectives. Central Hudson achieved greater than 30% participation (of eligible customers) within a zone where the need was most timely in just six months -- significantly faster than the three years it typically takes to achieve such a high rate of penetration. The result was due to using household-level analytics to segment the population in order to optimize participant recruitment combined with a comprehensive marketing strategy.

Central Hudson also exceeded the first-year MW target for all three zones, achieving 5.9 MW of load versus a target of 5.3 MW.

Innovative Compensation Model
Since Peak Perks aims to defer capital projects that would have otherwise resulted in earnings for Central Hudson, the utility collaborated with regulators to create a unique compensation model which ensures the program is financially beneficial for both the company and its customers. Instead of a traditional return on investment approach, an incentive-based model was implemented.

"We are thrilled that Central Hudson won this prestigious industry award as the utility deserves recognition for their innovative use of non-wires alternatives to solve a problem traditionally handled by new infrastructure investments," said Dave Neal, Chief Operating Officer, Comverge. "This is the third year in a row a Comverge client has received the PLMA Program Pacesetter award, which reflects our commitment to delivering superior operational results for our clients."

About Peak Perks
Peak Perks targets all customer classes -- large C&I, small to mid-size businesses (SMB) and residential. For residential and SMB customers, the utility has deployed residential direct load control equipment, including two-way communicating Wi-Fi thermostats and load control switches. Customers with the installed Wi-Fi thermostats also receive a free customer engagement portal from which they can remotely control their thermostats and optimize their heating and cooling schedules to maximize savings. For C&I customers, the utility has entered into customized curtailment agreements to support the necessary load shape for each zone.

Comverge's IntelliSOURCE Enterprise cloud-based software provides the foundation for the program, leveraging its integrated capabilities as a demand response management system, a customer engagement portal, and a customer care and work management system to ensure data is seamlessly linked across all program functions. The utility also uses Comverge services for participant recruitment and implementation services as well as program administration and support.

About Comverge
Comverge is the industry's leading provider of integrated cloud-based demand response, energy efficiency and customer engagement solutions that enable electric utilities to ensure grid reliability, lower energy costs, meet regulatory demands, and enhance the customer experience. Through its combination of software, hardware and services, Comverge helps utilities optimize every aspect of a demand management program, from participant recruitment and device installation to call center support, control events, and measurement and verification. Comverge has worked with hundreds of electric utilities to deploy nearly six million energy management devices and enroll more than two million residential customers into mass-market demand management programs. In July 2015, Navigant Research ranked Comverge the industry's number one demand response provider. For more information, visit www.comverge.com and follow us on Twitter at @Comverge.