Working together to reduce costs, conserve energy, and increase building revenue.
BOMA/Chicago has negotiated an aggregated Demand Response agreement that would allow buildings to receive better Demand Response terms than most can negotiate on their own.
Demand Response programs pay buildings to reduce electricity use during peak times. Engineers work with providers to find ways to temporarily reduce energy use, such as dimming lights or adjusting HVAC systems. On a few high-demand days, buildings implement these changes for a few hours and receive a share of the savings from reduced energy use.
Enrollment for 2026 is open now and is anticipated to sell out by February!
If you would like to learn more or enroll, please email info@bomachicago.org, and our team will follow up. When you are ready to enroll, please let us know the service address and utility account number(s) for the building. The enrollment contract is provided here for review only—NRG will send you a link to digitally sign it once all your questions have been answered.
Benefits of the BOMA/Chicago Program
- High Revenue Share: Earn 85% of gross revenue from energy savings (vs. typical 65–75%).
- No Performance Guarantee: No requirement to participate after the contract is signed, and no penalty if the building fails to perform.
- Pre-Negotiated Contract: BOMA/Chicago has pre-negotiated the contract between the provider and the building. Buildings can sign up quickly or negotiate further with the provider if they have any unique needs.
- No Extra Cost for Meters: Buildings can use their existing energy monitoring equipment if it’s compatible. If new meters are needed, the provider will supply at least four free meters, and any additional meters will be charged only at cost—no markups or hidden fees.
- Flexible Payments: Choose annual or quarterly payments.
- No Automatic Renewal or Right of First Refusal: The agreement lasts for 3 years, with no automatic renewal and no restrictions that would allow the provider to match other offers before the building can switch vendors.
- Flexible Termination & Assignment: The agreement can be terminated or assigned if ownership changes or if BOMA/Chicago’s program ends.
- Confidentiality: The provider will only use your information to deliver services or meet regulatory requirements. BOMA/Chicago receives only anonymized, aggregated data; no individual building information is shared.
- Supports Industry Advocacy: Your building’s participation helps advance the commercial real estate industry. BOMA/Chicago receives a revenue share from the program provider and is committed to transparency.
How It Works
METERING
For eligible customers, NRG installs or upgrades a meter that tracks electricity usage in real time, providing interval data for measurement and verification, giving customers access to their interval demand and kWh usage, and offering tools to manage daily operations better.
REDUCTION ACTION PLAN
NRG works with customers to create a realistic way to curtail based on their facility’s operations and maximize the customer’s payment opportunity.
ACTIVATION
The electric grid operator will experience a crisis or predict a supply shortage to meet expected demand. The operator or utility company will alert NRG of the need for an emergency DR event.
NOTIFICATION
NRG calls on participating companies to reduce their electricity use to keep the grid stable. Once notified, companies will implement their RAP and utilize appropriate personnel to execute it.
PERFORMANCE
Customer performance is determined by one of two methods: measuring the reduction in electric demand relative to a previously calculated baseline, or comparing reductions against peak demand hours from the prior year, weeks, days, or hours.
PAYMENT
After the DR season concludes, customers are paid for their participation.
ACTIVE MANAGEMENT PLATFORM (AMP)
Demand Response customers receive access to AMP, an online dashboard that provides real-time visibility into account usage and serves as a powerful operational tool. AMP offers:
- One-minute real-time power monitoring
- Exportable 15-minute interval demand and energy data
- Customizable alerts
- Exportable DR performance reports
- Usage comparison reporting
- Capacity and transmission management notifications.
Simple strategies to maximize your savings
Program Parameters
SEASONS
Summer: May – October
Winter: November - April
AVAILABILITY
Summer: 10am – 10pm
Winter: 6am – 9pm
7 days a week
EVENT NOTIFICATIONS
30 Minutes
DURATION
Unlimited (voluntary outside of seasonal call window hours)
MINIMUM LOAD REDUCTION
100 kW
REQUIRED METERING
1-hour interval metering
