To counteract rising electricity costs and decrease emissions, Pace University has implemented demand response, energy efficiency and sustainability initiatives that resulted in $2 million in total energy cost savings last year. Partnering with leading virtual power plant operator, Voltus, Pace delivered these financial results while improving campus resiliency and creating new opportunities for the institution and its students as well.
Commitment to Sustainability
Pace University, a private institution with one campus in New York City, and two in Westchester County, has remained committed to environmental sustainability through its Energy Strategy.
To support this broader strategy, Pace began participating in demand response in 2020 through its partnership with Voltus. Voltus worked with Pace’s operations team to automatically reduce campus energy usage during periods of high emissions and stress on the grid. In turn, Pace would earn revenue and savings to invest in new sustainability initiatives, further reducing overall emissions.
Voltus enrolled both the NYC and Westchester campuses in multiple New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) and utility-based demand response programs, including the Commercial System Relief Program (CSRP), Distribution Load Relief Program (DLRP), and Special Case Resources/Installed Capacity (SCR/ICAP). Voltus’s technology platform and New York-based team proved particularly valuable in simplifying the complexities of participation, while providing responsive support to on-the-ground personnel in preparation for, and during, emergency grid dispatches. By 2021, Pace’s overall efforts resulted in a 22% decrease in energy usage.
Commitment to NY Community
On July 15 and 16, 2024, NYISO’s SCR program was dispatched statewide on back-to-back days for the first time in fifteen years. During these events, One Pace Plaza, Pace’s flagship building complex, curtailed electricity use to help maintain grid stability without disrupting operations or comfort for its staff and students. The situation became even more complex when Con Edison’s demand response program was called concurrently, resulting in an extended period of curtailment. Despite these challenges, Pace successfully met its curtailment targets in SCR, providing essential support to the grid.