Constellation Rate Response Offers Commercial Customers New Ways to Reduce Their Electricity Supply Bills

BALTIMORE (Feb. 19, 2013) - Constellation, a business unit of Exelon, today launched Constellation Rate Response, which provides new options for commercial and industrial (C&I) customers to lower their electricity supply costs by participating in load response programs. Constellation power customers participating in load response programs can choose to receive a reduced rate on their electricity supply throughout the year or a direct bill credit.  Customers typically receive load response payments from their utility, ISO or curtailment service provider in the form of a check, months after a load response event has occurred.

"As a competitive power supplier, Constellation is able to provide unique opportunities for customers to integrate their management of energy use within their energy purchase," said Gary Fromer, senior vice president, energy management programs, for Constellation. "With Rate Response, customers who participate in load response programs can reduce their electricity supply costs and benefit from energy procurement and efficient power use in a single comprehensive budget."
 
"New and innovative options for how and when businesses receive load response program revenues are a motivating factor for broader program participation," said Marianne Hedin, senior research analyst at Pike Research, a part of Navigant. "Real progress in the load response industry requires bringing together customers' operations and procurement departments for a meaningful conversation regarding energy use, in order to further promote load response understanding and participation."

Rate Response is Constellation's latest offering to C&I customers that combines electricity supply with energy management products and services. Efficiency Made Easy allows customers to implement energy efficiency upgrades at their facilities with no upfront capital expenditure. With Constellation Peak Response, customers can reduce future capacity and transmission costs by voluntarily lowering electricity consumption during the hours of peak demand.

Constellation Rate Response customers select how load response revenue is applied to their electricity bill based on their estimated level of curtailment and the type of load response program in which they participate. Customers enrolled in capacity-based load response programs can choose to receive a reduced electricity supply rate up front, to reflect the value of anticipated load curtailment throughout the year. Customers enrolled in capacity, energy or ancillary load response programs can choose to receive payments as credits directly on their monthly bill for the amount of any revenue earned. Constellation Rate Response is supported by Constellation's VirtuWatt™ energy management and markets platform.

Constellation Rate Response is currently available to Constellation C&I power customers in the PJM, New England, New York, ERCOT and California regions. For more information please click here.

Constellation will hold a free, informational webinar on Rate Response on Feb. 21, 2013, at 3 p.m. EST.  

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