Participating in our demand response program helped Pure Sunfarms make big savings at their world-class cannabis facility in Delta. Image provided by Pure Sunfarms.
The more you reduce, the more you earn
Demand response events help BC Hydro to reduce load on the busiest parts of our system so that the electrical grid operates more efficiently, reducing the need for expensive new infrastructure. If you join our demand response for business program and shift or reduce at least 5% of your organization's typical electricity use, you'll earn $50 per average kilowatt (kW) demand reduction at the end of the season you participate in. The baseline for your energy use will be the five days prior to the event.
Demand response events are short periods of high demand on our system – lasting no more than four hours each. They take place during our winter season (November 1 to March 31) and our summer season (June 1 to September 30). You can register for our winter events regardless of where your facility is located. But summer season events are only available for select regions where electricity use peaks in the summer. If you're located in one of these select regions, you can enroll for summer, winter, or both.
Your total reward is based on your average kW reduction during the season's events, which means that the more energy you reduce or shift, the more money you can earn.
"Demand response is risk-free and easy to sign up for. It's a pay for performance model, not a penalty for non-performance," says Paul Seo, Senior Program Manager at BC Hydro. "Customers can opt out of 40% of all the events and still be eligible for a reward. These can be quite significant depending on how big your usage reduction is. Demand response is one of the simplest – and cheapest – ways to reduce or shift your usage and lower your costs."
Demand response success for Pure Sunfarms
One business who has seen great success recently with demand response is Pure Sunfarms, a leading Canadian cannabis producer owned by Village Farms International, Inc. Their Delta facility is one of the largest cannabis cultivation facilities in the world, covering 2.2 million square feet of indoor greenhouse and production space. It was originally used to grow hydroponic vegetables before transitioning to cannabis in 2018 after a major electrical infrastructure upgrade.
As you might expect with such a large facility, Pure Sunfarms takes energy conservation very seriously. Jonathan Bos, VP Asset Development at Village Farms International explains: "Stewardship is one of our core guiding principles at Village Farms International. It goes beyond environmental responsibility, representing a holistic approach to how we manage our business. Whether it's through facility upgrades, lighting innovations, or climate control systems, we're always looking for ways to reduce our footprint while maintaining the high standards our consumers expect."
"Our BC Hydro representative, Ivana, introduced us to the demand response program and its potential benefits. Her guidance helped us explore how participation could align with our operational and sustainability goals," continues Jonathan. "It was a natural fit, aligning with our efforts to explore new ways to reduce energy usage during peak demand periods. We participated in multiple events throughout the program to better understand the operational impacts and potential benefits."
Pure Sunfarms have six different meters across their facility measuring electricity for different systems. All this data contributed to the results of their demand response events. Baseload systems (including essential operations and HVAC) were excluded from the program to ensure there was no disruption to their core growing operations.
The results were amazing: for the seven demand response events they participated in during our 2024-25 winter season, Pure Sunfarms were able to reduce the average load for their lighting by an average of 35%.
What results are other customers seeing?
Since last summer, Current has highlighted many ways that our demand response for business program is helping industrial and commercial customers across the province.
We've looked at how adding battery storage to your facility enables you to automatically supplement your usage during demand response events thanks to our Distributed Energy Resource Management System (DERMS) software.
We also saw how Okanagan Spring's brewery in Vernon earned incentives with a 55% reduction in peak power consumption, along with identifying a couple of long-term savings opportunities.
And more recently, Primo Brands' water bottling facility in Hope told us how they reduced their peak usage by an average of 50%, lowering consumption by 2,400 kWh over just two demand response events last summer.
A bright future
As a result of demand response, Pure Sunfarms has been able to identify some future lighting project opportunities. "The demand response program offers an interesting opportunity to explore energy savings in a structured way," says Jonathan. "We recommend approaching it with a clear understanding of your energy profile and conducting a cost-benefit analysis to determine if participation makes sense for your operation. It's not one-size-fits-all, but for some, it may be a strategic move toward greater sustainability and efficiency."
How could demand response help you?
To find out more about registering for demand response and how it might help your organization, contact your Key Account Manager or Regional Energy Manager, or email demand.response@bchydro.com.