Planet

AI nudges helped North American homes skip a gigawatt of peak power this year

Utilities using Oracle's AI-driven Opower programs asked customers to ease off electricity at the busiest moments, with personalised tips and rebates for doing it. Across a record 73 events in 2026, the savings added up to 1 gigawatt of peak demand.

1 min readMore from November 2026

Why it matters

When everyone switches on the heating or air con at once, utilities fire up expensive backup plants. Oracle says this year's savings equal more than three of those plants, capacity nobody had to build or pay for.

Sometimes the cheapest power plant is a well-timed nudge.

SourceOracle, via PR Newswire

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