Shave the Peak is a program by Green Energy Consumers Alliance (GECA) designed to inform people, via text and email alerts, how and when to reduce power use on days when electricity demand is significantly higher than usual.
“Peaks” on a given summer day refers to the hour when energy demand is highest (for example, 6pm). Shave the Peak alerts often recommend saving energy during a specific timeframe, usually 4-9pm, depending on the day’s specific conditions. The 6-8pm period is almost always the highest peak. Peak days are a major factor regarding pollution and the cost of our electricity, with an increased use of the dirtiest resources, oil and coal, on the peak day.
Over the summer, GECA collected data every day from ISO-New England, the nonprofit Independent System Operator responsible for ensuring reliable electricity delivery across the six New England states. They tracked the forecasted high temperature, the forecasted and actual peak load, the time of said peak, the peak price of electricity and its timing, the CO2 emissions at peak, the output of behind the meter (BTM) solar and its timing, and whether or not GECA sent out a Shave the Peak notification to subscribers who receive alerts on when and how to reduce electricity use during times of high stress on the grid.
See the article by GECA on statistics from this past summer (June-August) that highlight how much power demand can vary in the warmer months and how much that demand influences both electricity prices and pollution levels.