Healdsburg Home Energy Load Management FAQs

Are there Terms and Conditions for this program?

Yes, by enrolling in this program you are agreeing to these Terms & Conditions.
 

What is the Home Energy Load Management Program?

The Healdsburg Home Energy Load Management Program helps manage demand on
the grid when electricity use is high.
 

Why is Healdsburg offering this program?

Healdsburg is offering this program to help customers automatically shift their electric
vehicle charging and cooling/heating away from periods of high demand and towards
periods of abundant renewables. This helps the electric grid and can reduce the need for
costly infrastructure.
 

How long will the program last?

The initial Load Management Program will last for two years. At that point, Healdsburg will
evaluate the success of the program by measuring the amount of energy shifted to off-peak and high renewable times, as well as the impact to our customers, before extending the program up to 2029.
 

How many vehicles or thermostats can participate? And do I need both?

Households may enroll up to 3 electric vehicles and/or up to 3 thermostats in the
program. They may also enroll an EV charger if desired. You can participate in the
program with either an EV/PHEV or a smart thermostat, you do not need to have both.
 

Is there a minimum age for participating?

The enrollee should be the utility account holder who is 18 years or older.
 

How do I participate in the program?

To enroll, download the Optiwatt app or go to Optiwatt.com and complete the
Healdsburg enrollment forms.

You will need a connected device that works with Optiwatt, this includes 95+% of all EV
makes/models, ChargePoint chargers, and all internet-connected smart thermostats
manufactured by Google Nest, ecobee, and Honeywell. Full lists of connected devices
are available within our Help Center.

Participants must have an active Healdsburg electric account.
If enrolling a thermostat, the thermostat must control a cooling system and/or an electric
heating system (e.g., thermostats that control a gas furnace only do not qualify).
Incentives

If I agree to participate in the Home Energy Load Management Program with Optiwatt,
what will I receive?

Healdsburg is offering a $50 enrollment incentive per EV or thermostat, up to 3 of each device.
If you wish to enroll an EV charger instead of your EV, you will receive the same
enrollment incentive as the EV. You will not receive separate incentives for an EV
charger connected to an enrolled EV. 

Healdsburg is also offering an active participation quarterly incentive of $15 per EV or EV
charger, $10 per PHEV, and $10 per Thermostat.

When will I receive my incentive?

Enrollment incentives will be awarded via the Optiwatt app once you join the Program.
Active Participation incentives will be awarded via the app quarterly. Active
participation is defined as having 95% of your home and away EV charging outside of
peak times (5-8pm) and averaging no more than 1 thermostat opt out per month.
 

If I have more than one electric vehicle or thermostat, am I eligible for two incentives?

Yes, you can receive an incentive for multiple enrolled EVs, up to 3. You will not receive
an additional incentive if you also enroll an EV charger that controls the enrolled EVs.
Customers will only receive an incentive for their EV charger if the EV is not capable of
direct load management.

You can also receive up to 3 thermostat incentives, if you have more than one electric
HVAC system with an electric load (e.g., separate upstairs and downstairs or separate
ADU).
 

How will this affect my charging schedule and heating/cooling schedule?

By participating in the program, you agree to allowing Optiwatt to manage your vehicle's
charging and your home’s heating/cooling. You will have the opportunity to opt out of
any of the events if participating would cause an inconvenience. The Optiwatt app can
help you conveniently optimize your charging and ensure your car is charged when you
need it, as well as set pre-cooling and heating preferences. Opting out of too many
events will impact your active participation incentive.

Some EVs do not allow us to directly manage your charging. For these EVs, you
will receive notifications and reminders from us about the best times to charge, or
can enroll an EV charger that allows for direct management.
 

Will this program prevent me from charging my EV?

No, you will always have the option to opt out of events. If you choose to use Optiwatt's
optional charging features, we will prioritize your departure time and charge limit
preference to ensure you always have the battery you need.

Should scheduling be disabled for EV chargers that are not enrolled in the program?

To prevent conflicting commands and ensure compliance with the Healdsburg Home
Energy Load Management Program, it is recommended that all device charging be
scheduled through the Optiwatt app. If you have questions about setting up your
charging preferences, please contact our support team.

What should I do if I'm enrolled in Nest Renew or a similar program for my smart
thermostat?

Avoid enrolling in other energy programs that might send conflicting commands to your
smart thermostat if you are a participant in the Healdsburg Home Energy Load
Management Program. If you have questions about setting up your smart thermostat in
Optiwatt, please contact our support team.

What nuances should I be aware of for the charts and numbers I am seeing in the app?

There are a couple nuances to keep in mind when you look at the charts and numbers
provided in the app.

For the Tiered Rate options, we do not have access to your overall energy
consumption; therefore, we do not know if you have moved into tier 2 pricing for the
month. Tier 1 rates are used in the calculations to estimate charging and cooling/heating
costs.

For the Time of Use Rate option, Healdsburg peak pricing changes at half hour marks
(1:30-7:30pm). At this time, we can only program daily management at the hour
mark. For TOU customers, we will avoid EV charging and minimize cooling/heating
from 1:00-8:00pm to help TOU customers save on their bills.

Also for the Time of Use Rate option, there is no peak hour pricing on Sundays;
however, there is on Saturdays. At this time, we can only exclude peak hours for
the whole weekend. Therefore, for TOU customers with the Save Money goal, we
will avoid EV charging and minimize cooling/heating from 1:00-8:00pm on both days of
the weekend.
 

What if my vehicle says it doesn’t allow third party charge management when I add it
into Optiwatt?

As long as your EV/PHEV is capable of communicating charge data with Optiwatt, you
can still participate in the program. We will not be able to directly manage your
charging, and will instead provide reminders and notifications to help you avoid peak
hours and take advantage of renewables when possible. We are working to expand
the vehicle models that we can directly manage. If you would like to participate in direct
charging management, you can also enroll a supported EV charger.
 

How do I stop participating in the program?

If you decide to unenroll, you may do so easily in the Home Energy Load Management
Program card within the “Charging” tab of the mobile or desktop Optiwatt app.
Alternatively, you may email [e-mail] to unenroll at any time. We highly
recommend chatting with our support team to address any concerns or challenges with
the program before unenrolling.

Are there any additional incentives for Healdsburg Electric CARE income-qualified
customers?

Yes, if you are a Healdsburg Electric CARE customer and are interested in participating
in the Load Management Program there are additional rebates to support your
participation.

If you do not have a smart thermostat that we support, you can receive a
rebate up to $200 for a new ENERGY STAR® internet-connected smart thermostat that
we support (internet-connected Google Nest, ecobee, or Honeywell smart
thermostat).

If you have an EV without an existing 240-volt outlet and home charger available or if we
cannot directly manage your EV, you can receive a rebate up to $2,000
for installing a new ENERGY STAR® EV charger that we support (internet-connected ChargePoint). 

If an electric panel or service upgrade is required to support
the EV charger installation, CARE customers may be approved for an additional up to
$2,000 rebate.
 
Rebate applications are available at www.SmartLivingHealdsburg.org.

Where can I find out more about my electric rates?

Electric rate information is available at healdsburg.gov/electricrates. Residents should
see either D1 (Standard Tiered Rate), D4 (Electric Heating Tiered Rate), or E7 (Time of
Use Rate) on their utility bill. It is recommended that you select one of these options
within our app, instead of manually entering your electric rate information.

If I have further questions about the Home Energy Load Management program, who
should I contact?

Further questions should be addressed by emailing [e-mail] or
calling [phone] from 9-5pm CT, M-F.

All other questions regarding Healdsburg conservation programs may be directed to
[e-mail] or [phone].