BOULDER, Colo., Nov. 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Uplight, a clean energy technology company that unlocks grid capacity by activating customers and their connected devices to generate, shift and save energy, today announced it delivered 4.4 gigawatts (GW) of load shift across 25 utility partners and 26 original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners through demand response and virtual power plant (VPP) programs this summer—roughly equivalent to the capacity of the Palo Verde nuclear power plant in Arizona, the largest in the U.S. This record seasonal shift represents a 32% increase in flexible capacity compared to the same period for 2024.
The company is proving its platform enables utilities to deliver predictable, customer-driven load flexibility at scale through the unique combination of customer engagement and flexibility management capabilities in one technology platform. Year-over-year, the company has tripled its flexible capacity, now managing a total of 8.5 GW across 59 programs. During the record-breaking 2025 summer season, Uplight:
- Delivered 1,275 demand-response events, 40% year-on-year growth.
- Exceeded enrollment targets by 21%.
- Reached its highest-ever post-event customer satisfaction score (82.8%).
- Launched 31 program expansions for existing utility clients, reflecting continued appetite for flexibility across the company’s growing utility client base.
- Cemented Predictive Capacity Dispatch, delivering load shift within 3% of forecasted capacity.
As rising demand drove record U.S. electricity consumption and more frequent extreme weather events put additional strain on the grid, Uplight provided the flexibility utilities and the grid needed all summer long—particularly during moments of critical stress. The results illustrate how the coordinated activation of residential and business customers and their distributed energy resources can deliver reliable capacity and reinforce grid stability using existing infrastructure, transforming what were once isolated demand response events into a dependable resource that utilities can count on.
“This summer proved what our platform can do—delivering predictable, scalable flexibility and giving utilities the confidence they need to rely on customer-driven capacity,” said Hannah Bascom, Chief Commercial Officer at Uplight. “Over the past few years, we’ve focused on bringing together our technologies, data and customer experience expertise into an integrated platform, and this summer’s performance shows that vision in action—more programs, more partners, more participation, and more predictable flexible capacity across the grid.”
Uplight’s performance was tested and proven over the 2025 summer season, particularly on the handful of days where peak demand reached its highest points:
- During the heat dome, when temperatures soared across much of the country, Uplight ran 45 events across 16 utility programs, shifting 350 megawatts (MW) of capacity, enough to power about 300,000 homes.
- On the highest demand day of the season, July 29, Uplight’s platform delivered 1,240 MW of load shift across 269,000 meters, maintaining consistent, verifiable performance under record grid strain.
Predictable Capacity Dispatch (PCD)—Uplight’s AI-powered forecasting engine— enabled reliable load shed forecasting throughout the season. Available for all AMI meters on the Uplight platform, PCD delivered load-shift outcomes within 3% of forecasted capacity, including when a Southeastern utility achieved 36 MW of sustained, verified load shift from 34,000 smart thermostats on the highest demand day of the season. Across the summer season, PCD’s precise projections, combined with platform innovations such as expanded asset and program types, self-scheduling, same-day emergency dispatch and robust measurement and verification based on AMI data, demonstrated how Uplight makes flexible capacity predictable and dependable at scale.
Uplight’s expanded partner ecosystem enabled even greater flexibility for both residential and commercial customers. The company launched a partnership with ecobee to extend load flexibility to devices outside traditional demand-response programs—keeping customers in control while supporting utilities during times of critical need. Uplight also onboarded Emporia EV chargers, Rheem water heaters, five new battery services providers, and 14 new curtailment service providers (CSPs), including CPower, which automatically dispatches commercial customers to help utilities and Enel X, further deepening the reach and scale of its flexibility network.
As electricity demand continues to rise, Uplight is defining what predictable, customer-driven flexibility looks like at scale—and proving it can deliver when the grid needs it most.
To explore Uplight’s solutions and how Predictable Capacity Dispatch can extend precision and reliability into upcoming winter-dispatch programs, visit: https://uplight.com/.
To dive deeper into industry insights and Uplight’s role in advancing grid flexibility, read the inaugural edition of The State of Demand-Side Readiness report.
About Uplight
Uplight is a clean energy technology company that unlocks grid capacity by activating customers and their connected devices to generate, shift, and save energy. Uplight enables sustainable load growth by combining personalized customer experiences with an open, flexible load management platform through the Uplight Demand Stack: integrating energy efficiency, electrification, rates, and flexibility programs to improve grid resilience, reduce costs, and accelerate decarbonization for both energy providers and their customers.
Uplight serves over 80 energy providers, including 8 of the 10 largest North American utilities, and is a certified B-Corporation whose purpose is to create a more sustainable future using business as a force for good. To learn more about Uplight, visit https://uplight.com/.
Contact
Uplight
Michelle Alberini-Krapian
Uplight@V2comms.com
