Opower programs helped deliver 1 gigawatt of demand reduction this year, providing critical resources for grid reliability through virtual power plants while helping customers reduce energy bills
Enhancements extend year-round event support and add customer segmentation, helping utilities increase peak reduction performance
AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Utilities using Oracle Opower have achieved record year-to-date peak energy demand reduction in North America. Oracle Opower programs activated across more than 70 winter and summer events, delivering 1 gigawatt (GW) of demand reduction, helped utilities maintain grid reliability and manage peak electricity demand more affordably for millions of residents across the United States. Through behavioral demand response (BDR) and peak time rebates (PTR) programs, Opower enabled utilities to expand participation in their virtual power plant (VPP) and demand response efforts to a broader range of customers, including those without connected devices.
By encouraging customers to reduce or shift electricity use during peak demand periods, Oracle’s AI- and behavioral science-powered programs help utilities tap into flexible capacity across their customer base and promote distributed energy resource (DER) adoption while helping customers lower their energy bills. For example, showing a customer that shifting air conditioning use by 15 minutes could save them money during a peak event, and then following up with how their household performed, is far more compelling than a generic request to use less power. With Opower PTR programs, utility customers can also earn monetary incentives when they reduce their energy use during peak events.
Top highlights achieved in 2026 include:
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Oracle delivered 1 GW of demand reduction, the equivalent to more than 3 Fredonia Generation Stations in Washington state — “peaker” power plants that provide backup electricity during demand surges
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Oracle helped utilities reduce peak demand by delivering a record 73 events across winter and summer seasons, an increase of nearly 50% compared to 49 total events in 2025
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Utilities achieved an average peak savings of 16,592 kilowatts (kW) per event — equivalent to meeting the peak demand from 4,150 homes*
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4.3 million customers were engaged, an increase of 30% compared to 3.3 million in 2025, demonstrating the rapidly growing reach and accessibility of these programs
Utilities’ record-breaking results
Puget Sound Energy (PSE), a Washington state investor-owned utility serving 6,000 square miles primarily in Western Washington, has successfully incorporated BDR into its VPP approach. Today, the utility’s Flex Events BDR program with Oracle has grown to represent a significant customer-facing facet of its set of load flexibility solutions as part of a broader VPP strategy. Utilizing customer communication channels, including text messaging, interactive voice calls, and email, the Flex Event program has driven statistically significant peak load reduction of up to 16.6 MW per event during three successive seasons of deployment.
