How SMECO is managing peak demand to support customer affordability

Utilities are under pressure from every direction: rising demand, more extreme weather, and customers who expect reliability without higher costs.

Flexible load management is helping utilities deliver on all three—and SMECO is showing how. Serving more than 175,000 members, SMECO has already reduced peak demand across 11,000+ homes in Maryland with its SmartTemp thermostat program without compromising customer comfort or satisfaction.

Now, with its FlexHome water heater pilot, SMECO is adding a new layer of flexibility: extending control beyond short bursts to longer-duration load shaping. It’s an important step toward something bigger: a coordinated, whole-home approach to energy that gives utilities more control—and customers a more comfortable experience.

Watch our on-demand webinar to hear SMECO and ICF program leaders share what’s working and where flexible load management is headed next.

What you learn:

• In practice: How flexible load management programs support reliability, affordability, and customer comfort.
• SMECO’s results: What’s driving meaningful peak reduction.
• Behind the tech: How SMECO targets devices at the right time.
• FlexHome lessons: What's working and what it takes to scale.
• What's next: Where whole-home energy orchestration goes from here.