Creating the world’s largest virtual power plant
Renew Home transforms everyday homes into a unified force for the clean energy transition. Leveraging existing infrastructure with scale-ready technology, we deliver an innovative solution that can be implemented immediately.
The untapped power of millions of homes
There are 82 million U.S homes with central HVAC systems, representing up to 70 GW of potential load shift. Nest Renew is already underway activating these homes. Millions of Nest smart thermostats work in concert, coordinating energy consumption and reducing grid pressure during moments of peak stress, without the cost or environmental impact of gas peaker plants.
A crucial resource for decarbonization
Virtual power plants can help address a fundamental limitation of renewable energy — inconsistency. Residential VPPs help smooth out the peaks and valleys of demand, providing a reliable, cost-effective energy solution even when the sun sets or the wind dies down.
Based on 400MW of resource adequacy in the Brattle Report, Real Reliability The Value of Virtual Power (May 2023) Costs are inclusive of CapEx, Fuel, O&M and Program Costs. System benefits are inclusive of energy, transmission, distribution, and ancillary services.
Personalized experience, profound impact
Unlike traditional energy management offerings, including demand response programs, Nest Renew uses personalized micro-adjustments to help customers prioritize cost savings and cleaner1 energy — without sacrificing comfort.
Smart thermostats are just the beginning. Renew Home is reimagining the role everyday appliances play in our energy ecosystem — creating foundational infrastructure for a smarter, more efficient, and adaptable grid.
Proven Reliability:
California Heat Wave
In the fall of 2022, California was hit with an extreme heat wave. Local residents with smart thermostats were able to deliver load reductions of about a kilowatt per home. Pooling together the thousands of Nest thermostat homes enrolled in utility Automated Demand Response (ADR) programs, the grid cut roughly 75 megawatts of demand to help avoid blackouts.
POSITION PAPER ∙ 15 MIN READ
Smart Thermostats and The Future of Virtual Power Plants
Learn about VPPs and how Renew Home is operating at scale to enable a smarter, more resilient grid.
1 Adjustments are primarily designed to shift the timing of electricity usage from your heating and cooling, but these shifts typically result in net energy savings. Savings from prioritizing cheaper energy are only available for customers on certain electric utility time-of-use rates.
