Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Programs

Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Pilot Program

You Can Help Build a Clean Energy Future

Orange and Rockland is participating in an important pilot program (coordinated with New York State’s Department of Public Service and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA)) which will support a Distributed Energy Resource, or DER, company’s outreach to potential customers. A DER company may offer a variety of technology, like small scale energy storage or power generated from solar, or may facilitate participation in energy efficiency or load management programs.  The adoption of these technologies and programs may financially benefit you and may help New York meet its ambitious clean energy goals.

NYSERDA has funded and created a secure database, pursuant to a Public Service Commission order, which a DER Company may query to find customers who may benefit from one or more of its products.  This database does not allow access to a customer’s identifiable utility account information without the express consent of the utility customer. Rather, the DER Company can match your anonymous electric usage information with its criteria for finding potential customers. To better determine whether a customer is a good fit for these products or services, DER companies are seeking the customer’s permission to access and analyze some of your protected identifiable account information, including but not limited to:  your name and street address, electricity consumption (kWh) data, service class, details about your utility service (voltage, phase(s), substation, circuit), business code (if you are a commercial customer), and whether you are already using a distributed energy resource.  O&R is facilitating this request for consent to release this protected identifiable account information by mailing letters to the potential customers on behalf of a DER Company.

Please be assured that DER companies currently do not have any of your protected customer account information, nor do they have anything that would enable them to identify you.

Customers can take the following action:

1. If you have received a letter in the mail from O&R on behalf of a DER Company, you can either return the completed Permission Form in the enclosed envelope you received, or download and complete the Permission Form via this website and then email to DERPlatform@oru.com.
2. If you have not received a letter in the mail from O&R on behalf of a DER company and you wish to either allow  all DER companies to view your protected customer account information without requesting your specific consent or be placed on a do not contact list for this program, please email DERPlatform@oru.com your name and home address. After receiving your request, O&R will mail you a permission form.

Your response, either granting or not granting permission, will help inform New York State on how to meet its ambitious clean energy goals to help fight climate change, reduce harmful air pollution, and promote New York State’s progress toward a diverse, reliable, and carbon-free energy supply.