The Ontario Energy Board (“OEB”) has approved a pilot project led by Hydro One Networks Inc. (“HONI”) who has contracted McMaster University (“McMaster”), together with consortia members including a smart thermostat by Energate Inc. (“Energate”) and energy monitoring equipment from Blueline Innovations (“BLI”).
This pilot project (“Pilot”) is intended to design various dynamic electric pricing programs and evaluate how a sample of Hydro One’s residential customers alter their consumption or pattern of use of electricity over the 16 month study period commencing on or about April 1, 2018 (“Study Period”). The study participants (“Participants”) are expected to include participants from an earlier study phase (“legacy participants”), as well as newly recruited customers (“new participants”). Changes in consumption due to pricing and feedback will be measured and assessed for conservation and bill savings impacts by McMaster.
Up to 350 new participants will be equipped with equipment and services from Energate and BLI (for legacy participants) to provide participants with a smart thermostat and feedback through the IHD, web portal or app.
Some new and legacy participants may require equipment servicing or equipment removal over the 16-month study period, or equipment removal after the study period ends.
This project requires the following three (3) Work Packages:
Work Package A: Install, commission and test the functionality of the Energate Foundation Device, BLI hardware and software for up to 380 Participants.
Work Package B: At the end of the Study Period, depending on the intentions of the Participant, the Proponent may be requested to schedule a follow-up visit to an assigned Participant’s location to dismantle, remove and dispose of hardware equipment and/or reinstall the original thermostat upon request by McMaster. It can be assumed that up to 50 participants may require equipment removal over the life of the pilot project; however, this estimate has considerable uncertainty.
Work Package C: Upon request by Participant and authorized by McMaster, provide emergency service to reconnect or reboot the smart thermostat device upon request by McMaster. It can be assumed that up to 50 participants may require emergency services over the life of the pilot project; however, this estimate has considerable uncertainty.
Although McMaster has every intention to have the number of Participants indicated, for reasons out of McMaster’s control, the number of participants could be less than the amounts indicated. McMaster therefore cannot guarantee to proponents that all allocated Participant sites will require installation or servicing by the Proponent.
McMaster reserves the right to contract with multiple qualified Proponents for “mix and match” of the Work Packages.
Roles and Responsibilities
- McMaster University will be the overall project manager and research lead investigator.
- McMaster will provide the necessary paper literature concerning the pilot, and any collateral materials as may be required for the participant.
- Participants will be customers of HONI.
- Energate will provide the Foundation smart thermostat (Model FZ100C).
- BLI will provide the consumption feedback hardware and software tools necessary for customer data gathering and analysis.
- The Proponent will contract directly with McMaster for the provision of services.
- The Proponent will receive the necessary hardware from Energate, BLI and McMaster at the Proponent’s logistic warehouse.
- The Proponent must then distribute the equipment to its local distribution channels or service technicians in the required quantities.
- The Proponent will install and commission the Energate and BLI equipment at the Participant’s location.
- At the completion of the Pilot, the Proponent may be tasked to decommission and remove equipment from a Participant’s location.
- During the Study Period, the Proponent may be required to provide the Participant with emergency HVAC services as authorized by McMaster.
