NIPSCO Program Guidelines

NIPSCO – Business Demand Response Program (BDRP)

Program Periods

Year-round (June 1 - May 31)

• Summer: June - August
• Fall: September - November
• Winter: December - February
• Spring: March - May

Program Hours

24 hours, 7 days/week

Dispatch Notice

At least 2 hours before dispatch starts, with additional advance warnings when possible.

Participation Options

Curtail per Energy Reduction Plan. 

Enrollment Strategy

Enel will work with you to determine your site’s enrollment value based on the electrical load pattern at your facility, performance in your dispatch readiness test, and information regarding your site’s operations. Enel may adjust this value based upon dispatch performance history and other feedback.

Test Events

Quantity of Dispatches Per Period:

• Summer or Fall: Up to 1 test event, if no real dispatch event occurs during the period
• Winter or Spring: Up to 1 test event, if no real dispatch event occurs during the period

Duration: 1 hour

Dispatch Timing & Duration

Dispatches may occur once per day during a period. There may be up to 5 dispatches during the summer period and up to 3 dispatches during the fall period. Each dispatch can last between 15 minutes and 4 hours.

Baseline Definition

Baseline may differ between each season based on a facility’s operations.

1. Peak Load Contribution (PLC): The average peak daily demand taken during the five PLC hours (two hours before, the hour of, and two hours after the MISO seasonal peak hour) across eleven PLC days (five business days before, the day of, and five business days after the seasonal MISO peak).
2. If Customer cannot apply the PLC from previous year or if demand changed significantly from previous year, please reach out to the customer service representative to discuss alternative options. 

Performance Measurement & Calculation

NIPSCO measures performance by averaging the difference between your site’s demand and the adjusted baseline for every 15 minute interval during a dispatch. Any minimum or maximum performance requirements are stated in your agreement.

Keys to Success:

1. Begin your energy reduction as soon as you can before the dispatch start time to ensure you are able to reach your contribution target on time.
2. Execute your full participation plan and verify that the equipment does not return to normal operational settings during the dispatch.
3. To achieve your full earning potential, be sure to maintain your energy reduction target throughout every dispatch in a season. Underperformance may result in reduced enrollment and earning potential for future seasons. 

Payment Calculation

We calculate payment based on the average delivered kW across all dispatches in the program period, multiplied by the $/kW-year rate stated in your agreement. If no dispatches occur, your payment is calculated by your average nomination multiplied by the $/kW rate stated in your agreement.

To achieve your full earning potential, be sure to maintain your energy reduction target throughout every dispatch in a period. Underperformance may result in reduced enrollment and earning potential for future periods.

If no dispatches occur, your payment will be calculated using your average nomination multiplied by the $/kW rate stated in your agreement.