Demand Response FAQ: Ireland and Great Britain

Demand response is when a business adjusts its electricity use for set periods, usually when the network is under strain. That means reducing use (load reduction) or moving it to another time (load shifting). Network and system operators pay for this flexibility because it helps balance supply and demand without building more capacity.

Network and system operators pay for flexibility. Triple Edge Energy aggregates flexible capacity from many sites, offers it to those operators, and pays each site its share of the revenue. Your site earns for the flexibility it makes available and delivers.

Triple Edge Energy is a demand response aggregator and flexibility service provider. We run a virtual power plant: a platform that groups flexible assets across many sites and operates them as one portfolio in flexibility markets. We run the whole process, working directly and with partners:

1. Site assessment. We find and assess sites, directly and through partners, to confirm participation gives a meaningful return.
2. Asset connection. We connect directly to energy assets, or set up communications with the site, so assets can act when needed.
3. Aggregation. We register sites and qualify the portfolio for the relevant programmes, handling the paperwork.
4. Optimisation. Our forecasting and optimisation decide when and how flexibility is offered to the market.
5. Dispatch and grid coordination. We coordinate with network and system operators during events.
6. Settlement and reporting. We validate performance where the programme requires it, report results, and pass revenue back to the site.

Yes. Partners help us reach sites and connect assets. We run aggregation, optimisation, dispatch and settlement. If you would like to partner with us, get in touch.

Results depend on the site: how much load you can shift or reduce, which assets you have, and which programme the site enters. In Ireland, sites with significant flexible load can reduce electricity costs or earn revenue worth 10% or more of annual electricity spend. We give you a site-specific estimate before you commit.

Triple Edge Energy operates in Ireland and Great Britain. In Ireland, Triple Edge Energy Limited (company number 775990, registered in Cork) is a registered service provider for ESB Networks flexibility programmes. In Great Britain, market participation is delivered through Triple Edge Energy (UK) Ltd (registered in England and Wales, company number 17330596), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Irish company.

Northern Ireland has its own network operator, separate from ESB Networks and from Great Britain's arrangements. Talk to us about sites there and we will assess them case by case.

In Ireland, ESB Networks procures flexibility from business energy users. In Great Britain, flexibility is bought at two levels: NESO, the National Energy System Operator, procures national services, and distribution network operators, including SP Electricity North West, procure locational services against specific network constraints, with tendering and dispatch run on platforms such as ElectronConnect. Which buyers apply to a site depends on its location and connection.

In Ireland, a business spending €75,000 or more a year on electricity is a strong candidate, because that usually means enough flexible load to make participation worthwhile. In Great Britain we have not set a spend threshold. Eligibility depends on the site's location, connection and assets, and we assess each site individually.

We work with manufacturing sites, food processing, cold storage, logistics centres, data centres and large commercial buildings, and with any organisation that has flexible electrical assets. The typical connection is 50 to 500 kVA Maximum Import Capacity.

Most controllable electrical load can potentially take part, including:

• Manufacturing equipment with variable operating speeds
• HVAC systems
• Heat pumps
• Refrigeration
• Battery storage
• Electric vehicle charging
• On-site generation and standby plant, where programme rules allow

The test is whether you can change when equipment runs without materially affecting operations.

On-site generation and storage can increase the flexibility a site can offer. A battery gives the most dependable response, because it can act whether or not a process is running. We include these assets in the site assessment and the participation plan.

It should not. Before anything goes live, we agree with you the periods when load cannot move. You keep control of your equipment and can opt out of individual events. Participation is designed around how your site operates. Where we connect to equipment directly, you set the limits.

In Irish programmes there are no penalties: you can opt out of any event, and revenue reflects what you actually deliver. In Great Britain, contract terms vary by network operator, and we explain the terms of any service before you commit.

No. Participation works alongside your existing supply arrangement, whoever your supplier is.

Onboarding covers an initial assessment, site registration and testing. How long it takes depends on the market your site joins and that market's timings. Get in touch to find out more. Once set up, participation is largely hands-off.

Yes. Reducing or shifting demand at peak times can lower the carbon intensity of the electricity a site draws, and can contribute to Scope 2 emissions reductions.

Email [email protected] or use the contact form for a free, no-obligation assessment of your site's flexibility. Tell us your location and, if you have them, your annual electricity spend and main flexible assets.