About one in two households in the EMA pilot project reduced their energy use in September when it was offered

The pilot aims to encourage households equipped with smart meters to actively reduce their electricity consumption during periods of peak demand, relieving pressure on the national grid during outages.

The EMA said the results of the pilot will allow SP Group and it to assess the viability of engaging households in demand response programs on a larger scale.

The authority told The Straits Times that since the pilot project is still at an early stage, it is too early to determine its impact on energy consumption and more data will be available once it is completed.

EMA’s efforts to reduce energy consumption during peak periods include a demand response program for businesses launched in 2016.

Such efforts are critical as Singapore begins to incorporate multiple energy sources into its energy mix in an effort to reduce carbon emissions.

For example, solar energy operates intermittently due to weather conditions such as cloud cover, and imported electricity can potentially vary depending on availability, market conditions and transmission constraints.

Peak load on the national grid is forecast to rise every year over the next five years, according to the EMA, and demand response programs will help ensure the network operates smoothly and more efficiently.

Grid demand peaks are peaks in electricity consumption by consumers that typically occur during the hotter months of the year and when commercial and industrial activity is in full swing during the afternoon.

Households participating in the pilot project are equipped with smart electricity meters installed by SP Group.

In its annual report published in August, the utility operator said it had installed 900,000 smart electricity meters in residential and non-residential premises.

Customers with smart meters, also known as advanced metering infrastructure meters, can view their half-hourly electricity consumption in the SP app to track consumption patterns and find ways to reduce their electricity consumption.

The majority of households in Singapore now use storage meters to track their electricity consumption, with SP Group sending meter readers to these households every two months to record their consumption.

All 1.58 million households in Singapore can expect to have smart meters installed on their premises by 2026, according to the Open Electricity Market website.