GridPoint > Case Studies > Demand Response: Enhancing Cost Savings and Operational Efficiency for Five Star Call Centers

Demand Response: Enhancing Cost Savings and Operational Efficiency for Five Star Call Centers

Technology Category

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Event-Driven Application
Sensors - Utility Meters

Applicable Industries

Education
Electrical Grids

Use Cases

Demand Planning & Forecasting
Time Sensitive Networking

About The Customer

Five Star Call Centers is a leading call center outsourcer for customer care. They offer a full spectrum of care options, including voice, chat, email, interactive voice response (IVR), social media monitoring, and more. Power supply is critical to their operations, and they have built a solid reputation for providing consistent, reliable, and friendly customer care. To prevent service disruptions, they have an uninterruptible power supply on-site, as well as a backup generator. However, the generator was rarely used and there were monthly expenses to maintain it.

The Challenge

Five Star Call Centers, a leading call center outsourcer for customer care, faced a critical challenge with their power supply. The company had built a solid reputation for providing consistent, reliable, and friendly customer care, and any loss of power could severely disrupt their business. To prevent service disruptions, the company had an uninterruptible power supply on-site, as well as a backup generator. However, the generator was rarely used and incurred monthly expenses for its maintenance. The company needed a solution that could turn this idle resource into a revenue-producing, grid-interactive asset.

The Solution

GridPoint, a provider of grid-interactive generator solutions for automated demand response, offered a solution to Five Star Call Centers. They enrolled Five Star's generator in a demand response program, at no upfront cost to the company. GridPoint provided in-depth education on the savings opportunity, the installment and enrollment process, and the demand response operations. They also worked with an environmental consultant for permitting and to determine if emissions testing and upgrades were necessary. The final step was enrolling the site in the Xcel Energy demand response program. In case of an emergency situation or weather event, Xcel Energy would notify GridPoint, who would then signal to the generator the day and time that it needs to turn on, reducing the demand on the grid during that period.

Operational Impact

The implementation of GridPoint's solution provided both bottom line and topline benefits for Five Star Call Centers. The company saw an immediate benefit through on-bill cost savings and there was additional potential revenue through the utility demand response program. Beyond costs, the technology provided valuable insights into the operational status of the generator, through a cloud-based software application and reporting suite. The solution also benefited Xcel Energy by reducing the need for supplemental power plants and high peak energy purchases. This partnership allowed Xcel Energy to meet fluctuating energy demands in a reliable way, making it a win-win situation for all parties involved.

Quantitative Benefit