Demand-Side Management Strategies Flashcards
7 cards from real CEA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Demand-Side Management Strategies flashcards as text
Which demand response mechanism allows a utility to remotely cycle a customer's air conditioning compressor during peak events?
Answer: Direct load control
Direct load control gives the utility remote authority to cycle or interrupt specific end-use equipment such as air conditioners or water heaters.
A DSM program achieves an avoided cost of $0.05/kWh but costs the utility $0.08/kWh to administer. What does this suggest?
Answer: The program fails the program administrator cost test
When the program administrator's cost per kWh saved exceeds the avoided cost, the program fails the program administrator cost test.
Peak clipping as a DSM strategy directly reduces which component of utility system costs?
Answer: Transmission and distribution capacity costs
Peak clipping reduces the maximum demand the utility must serve, deferring or eliminating T&D infrastructure investments sized for peak conditions.
Which end-use sector typically offers the greatest potential for demand response in the U.S.?
Answer: Commercial HVAC
Commercial HVAC systems represent the largest controllable load in the U.S. commercial sector, offering significant thermal mass for demand response flexibility.
An energy efficiency program targets the 'split incentive' barrier. Which scenario does this barrier describe?
Answer: A landlord pays the capital cost of efficient equipment but tenants pay the energy bills
The split incentive barrier occurs when the party who pays for an efficiency upgrade (landlord) does not receive the resulting energy bill savings (tenant).
In the context of DSM planning, 'conservation voltage reduction' (CVR) works by:
Answer: Lowering distribution voltage within ANSI limits to reduce power consumption
CVR reduces distribution voltage to the lower end of the acceptable ANSI range (114V), which decreases power consumption of many voltage-sensitive loads.
Which evaluation method isolates the net savings attributable to a DSM program by comparing participants to a matched control group?
Answer: Randomized controlled trial
Randomized controlled trials randomly assign customers to treatment and control groups, providing the most reliable estimate of program-caused savings.