Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions
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Olivine, Inc. is an industry-leading energy resource management and grid services company. We operate at the intersection of energy supply and demand, environmental sustainability, and equitable energy access. Olivine provides full-service energy resource management infrastructure and services for our residential, commercial and industrial facility clients including market analyses and revenue assessments, resource integration/testing/deployment, and on-going operational management and administrative support for our energy programs. To learn more visit us on www.olivineinc.com.
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ClimateResponse® is Olivine’s solution which empowers electricity end-users to temporarily adjust their energy consumption behavior to help lower utility costs, improve the resilience of the electricity infrastructure, and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to address the climate crisis. ClimateResponse® engages end-users by delivering real-time information when energy prices and local GHG emissions are high, or when the energy grid is stressed; and educates participants on actions to take to save energy – while offering incentives for program participation. Olivine calculates and reports the energy and environmental impact of ClimateResponse® participation to customers so that they can track the impact they are making to mitigate climate change and increase sustainability.
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Most residential and non-residential customers that procure electricity from investor-owned utilities (SCE, PG&E and SDG&E), Community Choice Aggregators (CCA), or Direct Access that have the potential to temporarily reduce energy use can participate in ClimateResponse® and earn rewards.
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Customers sign up for the ClimateResponse® Program and agree to save energy during ClimateResponse® Events – typically scheduled between 4 - 9pm when energy prices and local GHG emissions are high, or when the energy grid is stressed. Customers benefit from lower energy bills, create a positive impact on the environment and also earn monetary rewards for their participation. For non-residential customers, Olivine staff can also work with you to determine how much load your facility can reduce under the program, and you will have the option to work with Olivine staff to automatically adjust your controllable technologies (e.g., batteries, EV chargers, HVAC system) during a Climate Response® event.
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By joining ClimateResponse® you will play a key role in demonstrating environmental leadership, strengthening the grid with clean non-polluting energy resources, and helping to avoid emergency brownouts and blackouts. In addition to reducing your electricity bills and earning program incentives, your facility’s reduction in energy and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions can be counted towards meeting your Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and climate goals. You will also earn monetary rewards for your participation. Residential customers will get an annual participation reward and commercial and residential customers will earn rewards based on how much energy they save.
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To become a customer in ClimateResponse®, you need to complete the enrollment process, agree to program terms and conditions and the participation agreement, and agree to share your utility information with Olivine.
Residential customers can enroll through the ClimateResponse® App found as a web-version or as a smartphone app version found by searching ClimateResponse® in the Apple Store or Google Play Store.
Non-residential customers can enroll online by visiting our ClimateResponse® C&I Enrollment Website.
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The ClimateResponse® program commitments are detailed out in the program terms and conditions and participation agreements. For residential customers, There is no commitment and you can disenroll from the program without penalty at any time. Please remember if you disenroll from ClimateResponse® you will no longer be eligible to earn incentives through the program. The commercial and industrial customers might have commitment terms that are binding and those will be listed in the customer participation agreements. Please refer to your participation agreement for details or contact customer support at ask@climateresponse.com or 1-888-350-4730 for clarification.
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When you agree to share your utility data as part of the enrollment process, you will authorize Olivine, Inc. to be your Demand Response Provider (DRP). As a result, Olivine will have access to some of your utility information including the customer name associated with the account, the service address, rate schedule, meter type, electric usage, billing data, and whether you are enrolled in a utility demand response program. This data will be kept in a secure location as specified by the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC)’s Fair Information Practices guidelines. For more information on the DRP authorization process and data protocols, refer to the CPUC website here.
Enrollment Questions
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When you enroll in ClimateResponse®, Olivine will help manage flexible energy loads at your facility to reduce your electric bills and earn money from participation in program events. The following information is needed to help us assess how you can participate in ClimateResponse®:
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- Zip Code (To determine which energy provider you’re served by.)
- Contact Information (To discuss how your facilities can participate in ClimateResponse®.)
- Email address for authorized signer of the Terms and Conditions & Participation Agreement (if you are not authorized to sign) (To email authorized signer program documents to review and sign.)
- Utility Account Information (To review your utility data and assess how your sites can participate in ClimateResponse®)
Residential customers can enroll through the Olivine ClimateResponse® VPP App here.
Non-residential customers can enroll online by visiting our ClimateResponse® C&I Enrollment Website.
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It can take up to 3 weeks to verify enrollment for customers enrolling in ClimateResponse® . If you are deemed ineligible to participate in ClimateResponse® , customer support will follow up with you and provide more details about why your sites are ineligible, and what you can do to become eligible.
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You will be notified via email when your enrollment is confirmed.
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The capacity nomination is the estimated target load reduction quantity (kW) for a site during a ClimateResponse® event. Nominations are not required for residential customers, but are required for commercial and industrial customers enrolled in ClimateResponse®. The capacity nomination is a representation of the load reduction capacity (kW) potential in commercial buildings that is achievable during ClimateResponse® events. Olivine can provide technical assistance to commercial customers to help determine the appropriate capacity commitment for your building. Please email us at ask@climateresponse.com or call us at 1-888-350-4730 for more information or if you have questions.
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The Terms and Conditions (T&Cs) for the program are the rules under which customers participate in ClimateResponse®.
Questions about ClimateResponse® Events
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ClimateResponse® events are triggered by high greenhouse gas emissions, high wholesale market prices and when the electric grid is facing supply shortages which might result in power outages and grid emergencies. The program might also trigger test events occasionally to either test our ability to automatically send signals to your technologies during an event or to validate capacity nominations for commercial and industrial customers.
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When an event is called, an email from notification@olivineinc.com will be sent to the designated point of contact by 5pm the day prior to the event. For example, If an event is called for Monday, you will receive a notification the preceding Sunday. You will also get notified via SMS and/or app notifications if we have a mobile number on file for you and/or if you are a residential customer who is using the ClimateResponse® app by Olivine.
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An event notification will contain relevant details about the event such as the address and the date and time of the event so that you know when you are expected to reduce energy use in your building, or to notify you when your technologies will be controlled automatically to save energy (if applicable).
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There will be a maximum of 10 events per month, up to 35 events per year. Events can last 1-4 hours and will occur between 4 – 9 pm on weekdays. A maximum of 140 event hours will be called per year.
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There is no commitment to participate in a ClimateResponse® event, but you potentially may miss an opportunity to earn rewards.
Questions about rewards and payments
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Customers will earn rewards as per the specifications of the program terms and conditions. Residential customers will get paid a fixed amount for participation in ClimateResponse® and commercial and industrial customers will get paid based on capacity nomination and load reduction achieved during events and payments might vary by utility/location.
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Residential customers enrolled in ClimateResponse® will be paid annually. Residential customers will get paid in the form of electronic-cards- redeemable for retail gift cards or a VISA card. Commercial and Industrial customers will get paid through a check or ACH transaction quarterly.