ENECHANGE Ltd. (Head Office: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director & CEO: Yohei Kiguchi), provider of ENECHANGE Cloud DR, a demand response (DR) service, has launched the “Summer Energy Saving Campaign 2023” at Tokyo Gas, Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; President: Shinichi Sasayama; hereafter: Tokyo Gas). We have been providing DR services to Tokyo Gas since 2021, and this year’s campaign includes a new benefit: customers can earn points by going out to selected facilities during peak shaving hours.

Background

The spread of renewable en​​ergy and the flexible adjustment of supply and demand are important for the realization of a decarbonized society, and DR is attracting growing interest as an initiative to reduce demand rather than increase power generation when electricity demand is tight. In addition, electricity prices continue to rise due to soaring fuel prices, and consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the need to save electricity. As a countermeasure, energy companies are taking the lead in promoting peak shaving initiativesusing DR. Under these initiatives, consumers can earn points and rewards according to the amount of electricity they save during peak shaving request hours.

About this initiative

Tokyo Gas is the number one (*1) new entrant retailer of household energyr and first adopted the ENECHANGE Cloud DR solution in 2021 during its Power Saving Campaign. In this new campaign, Tokyo Gas and Tokyo Gas DR service users (*2) will work together to save electricity using ENECHANGE Cloud DR. The 2023 campaign will run for three months, from 1 July to 30 September.

One of the highlights of this year’s campaign is a new benefit called “Energy-saving action points by going out”. When users visit the facilities listed on their My Page portal during the specified peak shaving time, which will be announced on the special Tokyo Gas website and in the notification emails, they will be able to earn energy-saving action points.

To coincide with this year’s campaign, we have added a function within ENECHANGE Cloud DR that uses smartphone location data (GPS) to determine whether a user has visited the relevant facility. This new benefit encourages them not only to save energy at home, but also to go out during peak shaving hours, thereby promoting effortless and efficient energy saving in all situations. This summer, more than 3,000 locations in Tokyo Gas’s service area have been designated as target facilities.

◎TOKYO GAS CO.,LTD. Details of the ‘Summer Energy Saving Campaign 2023’ can be found here.
URL: https://drlv.tokyo-gas.co.jp/campaign/dr2023_summer.html

(*1) Actual demand figures for low-voltage electricity at businesses other than those deemed retail electricity businesses (new entrants) as listed in the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy’s electricity survey statistics (as of October 2022).
(*2) To use the Tokyo Gas DR service, you must have an electricity contract with Tokyo Gas and be registered with myTOKYOGAS.

About ENECHANGE Cloud DR

ENECHANGE Cloud DR is a service that uses energy data obtained from smart meters to encourage a shift in peak energy consumption, and aims to resolve the electricity supply-demand crunch by cooperating with customers to save energy. We offer two services: behavioral change DR, which encourages voluntary peak shaving behaviour by participants, and smart device DR, which remotely controls appliances connected to smart devices in advance. Both services are provided for Tokyo Gas. Peak shaving periods  are set based on the area price for the following day, which is published on the electricity market (JEPX) the day before, with pre-set thresholds and the designation of specific time periods. Participants receive rewards according to the amount of energy they have shifted from their individual standard energy use.

ENECHANGE Cloud DR service: http://dr.smapenergy.com/

Comment from Ryoichi Nojima, Executive Officer, ENECHANGE Ltd.

Together with Tokyo Gas, we are promoting peak shaving in order to decarbonize and stabilize the power grid. As part of this initiative, we have been providing an environment that makes it easier for each and every customer to save electricity through the ‘Energy Saving Campaign’, which has been implemented since 2021, through the ENECHANGE Cloud DR. The new energy-saving action points, which will begin this year, is an attempt to expand energy-saving behavior to a wider range of people through a new point-awarding function. Through this initiative, we aim to create a society in which highly effective peak-shift usage becomes the norm by encouraging more people to participate in peak shaving.

ENECHANGE Ltd.

ENECHANGE is an energy technology company that promotes a carbon-free society through digital technology with the mission of Changing Energy For A Better World. We offer services based on data utilization in the field of the 4Ds of Energy: Deregulation, Digitalization, Decarbonization, and Decentralization. Our company’s roots come from an energy data lab at the University of Cambridge, U.K., a country where liberalization is mature. ENECHANGE has a British subsidiary, SMAP Energy Limited, as well as a global network and analytical technology for energy data.

URL: https://enechange.co.jp/en/

■For inquiries
ENECHANGE Ltd.
pr@enechange.co.jp