The City of Penticton is partnering with Telus to tackle peak electricity usage during the winter and summer months.
City council approved spending $25,000 to cover Telus' costs to make its demand-side management program for residents in the city zero-cost for entry.
Volunteers who register for the Smart Energy program will be provided with a credit from Telus that can be put towards either a smart thermostat or smart plugs for their home.
These smart pieces of equipment will pair up with the DSM program to cut down on electricity usage.
The smart plugs will be programmed to shut off the flow of power entirely when not in use, instead of allowing things like computers or printers to draw electricity through.
The goal of the program, according to city energy manager Draydan Power, is to cut down the municipality's power usage during the peaks of heat and cold by one megawatt.
During regular years, electricity usage peaks at up to 82 megawatts.
"If we can save that one megawatt of demand monthly, it's about $17,000," said Power. "Even if we don't achieve that day in and day out, if we get closer to that 250-kilowatt number, that's still going to result in about $4,200 a month in savings."
Telus will be responsible for handling registration, subscriptions, hardware, support and logistics for the program and equipment.
Power also noted that although the city and Telus are only looking for a 1,000-people pilot project, any equipment purchased will not have to be returned once the pilot ends.
The exact amounts of credit and how much the smart equipment will cost wasn't ready yet.
The city will also be doing a public engagement campaign ahead of the program's launch in Penticton.
