Ameren Illinois Demand Response

Earn payments for reducing energy consumption through an exclusive demand response program with Ameren Illinois

Ameren Illinois and Enel North America have partnered to offer commercial, institutional, and industrial customers incentive payments for participating in a demand response program to maintain a reliable and cost-effective electric grid. Customers in the Ameren Illinois territory are eligible to participate in this bilateral demand response program. Enel works with Ameren Illinois to ensure strong and dependable capacity pricing year-over-year, offering better and more consistent pricing than what MISO LMR provides.

In this program, large energy consumers can earn payments for making targeted energy reductions during periods of peak demand. Enel, the world leader in demand response, connects large energy consumers to these programs and ensures that they can maximize their payments while keeping operational disruption to a minimum. Meanwhile, Ameren Illinois can make the grid more efficient and continue to keep energy prices among the lowest in the nation. 

Ameren Illinois Demand Response territory map

Ameren Illinois demand response program overview

Program period Year-Round (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter program seasons)
Program hours
24/7
Payments
Capacity and energy: earn $40,000/MW-yr in capacity payments and no penalties
Advanced notification
At least 60 minutes prior to event; Enel usually sends out a “High Alert” notice multiple days in advance
Event duration
4 hours maximum

Ameren Illinois demand response program FAQs

Demand response programs provide an opportunity for commercial, institutional, and industrial organizations to earn money and drive energy savings while helping maintain reliable electricity throughout Ameren Illinois’ service territory. When Ameren Illinois faces supply and demand constraints, they dispatch Enel’s demand response network, which is made up of local organizations that have agreed to reduce energy usage during these times of high demand. Program participants earn payments for agreeing to be on standby and curtailing electricity consumption when called upon in response to these events.

  • Maximize payments to your bottom line: Enel manages your participation from start to finish, ensuring you earn the highest possible financial reward. Since 2015, our customers have earned more than $1.325 billion in payments.
  • Improve your facilities’ resilience: In addition to the payments, participants receive advanced notification of grid stability issues, enabling them to proactively protect their facilities from potential power outages.
  • Support your community: Your participation helps maintain reliable, low-cost electricity in your community.

Enel makes participation easy. We take care of the complex details so you can stay focused on running your business.

  1. Our expert team will work with you to identify your energy reduction potential and create a strategy that delivers maximum value with minimum impact on your operations. We outline these measures in a detailed energy reduction plan.
  2. In some cases, we install necessary metering devices at your facility to establish communication with our Network Operations Center (NOC), so we can monitor your energy consumption levels in real time.
  3. Your site is then enrolled and ready to respond when a dispatch begins. Provided your site has Enel metering, log into our app at any time during a dispatch to view your real-time performance.
  4. Throughout the process, we fully manage enrollment, measurement, verification and payments on your behalf.
  • Notification: When Ameren Illinois anticipates the need for support, they dispatch the Enel network into action. Enel will notify you via email, phone or SMS, depending on your preferences, to inform you when the dispatch will begin.
  • Response: At the start of the dispatch, your facility will reduce its electricity usage according to your predetermined energy reduction plan – either manually or, if requested, automatically through the NOC.
  • Support: Before, during, and after a dispatch, our NOC remains in communication with your facility. Our staff is available 24x7x365, supporting you to ensure that you achieve the highest possible levels of performance and payments.

Enel has extensive experience creating energy reduction strategies that work within the operational limitations of a wide variety of facilities, including cold storage, manufacturing, food processing, universities, malls, office buildings and more. We can also help to implement full control systems that allow your electric load to be toggled remotely.

Common reduction examples include:

  • Modify manufacturing processes
  • Adjust HVAC equipment
  • Dial back pumps
  • Change settings in industrial freezers
  • Reduce non-essential lighting

Customers often facilitate dispatch participation by simply shifting many of their energy-intensive processes by a few hours. Ask us about our experience working with customers like you.

Our experts are standing by to speak with you about your organization’s demand response opportunity. Submit your information here to get a conversation started with our team.

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Ameren Illinois demand response resources

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