FOR BUSINESSES
Make your energy
work smarter.
Explore business demand response with a project-specific assessment. Understand the operating approach, equipment and commitments before choosing a route.
Talk about your project
BUILT AROUND YOU
Shift demand. Keep operations in view.
BC Hydro has separate business demand-response offers for reducing or shifting electricity use during peak periods. The right route depends on your account, equipment, load profile and how your operation can respond when an event is called.
- Review the site load profile, operating hours and equipment controls.
- Compare business behavioural, manual and automated approaches before committing.
- Confirm the current account, device and offer requirements with BC Hydro.
Plan for what’s next
Commercial battery capital funding is a separate offer. The BC Hydro Energy Storage Incentive requires automatic DERMS dispatch and a 10-year demand-flexibility agreement, rather than simply enrolling a battery in a seasonal demand-response offer.
BUSINESS DEMAND RESPONSE · CHECKED 29 OCTOBER 2026
Choose an approach that fits the way you operate.
Demand response means reducing or shifting electricity use when BC Hydro calls an event. It is not one uniform battery offer. Start with the loads your business can safely change, the people who would act on an event and the controls already available at the site.
Business behavioural and manual approaches
A business behavioural offer relies on planned operating changes. Your team may reduce, reschedule or manage selected loads when asked, provided that the current offer, account and operating conditions work for the site. A manual approach also relies on people or site procedures to respond, so the available response has to be realistic for each event.
Automated approaches
Automated demand response uses compatible controls to make an agreed response without relying on someone to take action in the moment. This can be appropriate where eligible equipment, a control strategy and site operations support it. Existing batteries may be able to take part in a seasonal business offer, but only if the current device, account and offer requirements are met.
Battery funding is a separate decision
Do not read a seasonal business demand-response offer as commercial battery capital funding. The separate Energy Storage Incentive is for qualifying new commercial storage and requires automatic DERMS dispatch plus a 10-year demand-flexibility agreement.
Energy Storage Incentive
This legacy link now points to the dedicated commercial Energy Storage Incentive service. It is a separate offer, not an embedded funding section on the demand-response page.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Good questions.
Clear answers.
What is the difference between business demand response and the Energy Storage Incentive?
Business demand response can use behavioural, manual or automated operating approaches. The Energy Storage Incentive is a separate capital-funding offer for qualifying new batteries that requires automatic DERMS dispatch and a 10-year demand-flexibility agreement.
Can an existing battery participate?
An existing battery may be able to participate in a seasonal business demand-response offer if the current account, device and offer requirements are met. It is not automatic, and it is different from applying for the Energy Storage Incentive.
Can demand-response offers be combined?
Check each current offer before assuming they can be combined. The Energy Storage Incentive manual allows participation in other demand-response programs when each offer is eligible and no duplicate incentive is submitted, including its specific reference to the Business Behavioural offer.
Explore your other options.
USEFUL ADVICE FOR THIS PROJECT
Look into the details.
LET’S MAKE A PLAN
Let’s plan your
solar installation.
Tell us about your property. We’ll help you understand what makes sense.