We are doing what our utilities and grid regulators won’t: we are building a network of ratepayers who are ready to do “conservation demand response” ourselves. 

We will stay grounded in community and mutuality because we are more than individual "consumers." We have the power to choose to work collaboratively to shift our relationship to energy use, to become more intentional. And this means that together we have the power to transform how the energy markets in our region work. The whole thing runs on our money, so let's dig in and make the system work for the communities that are most impacted by decision-makers that most of us have never heard of.

When demand for electricity is high, we will support each other in reducing our energy usage so that fossil fuel “peaker” plants don’t have to turn on. We will measure our impact on the grid, and then bid collectively into the very market system that seeks to keep us out. By establishing ourselves as a collective capable of responding to peak electricity demand, we will show grid regulators that voluntary conservation, not fossil fuel funding, is a key component to grid reliability. We will build an alliance of ratepayers ready to support each other in the face of snowballing economic, environmental, health, and social crises. And together we will build a foundation for joyful, community-centered conservation demand response and a just transition.

In April 2024, a cohort (4-6 small groups in three different parts of New England) will begin working with materials and approaches we have developed. In August we hope to add more groups in more parts of the region. We'll be working with students and teachers, families and neighbors, grassroots groups and more official organizations. By the end of the year, the project will be open to ratepayers across the six New England States. 

Stay tuned for more details and opportunities as we get rolling!

To get email updates about this project, head over to the Join page on our website and click the box that says "Stay updated on our demand response / community conservation project in New England!"

If you're not already on our general email list, this will add you there, as well. We average fewer than one email per month to that general list.