Powering Massachusetts: Reservoir Joins Sense for Live Demo
Water Heaters & Grid Resilience
As part of Boston Climate Week, Reservoir joined Sense for a live demonstration for Powering Massachusetts: Unlocking 3.5 GW Through Electric Demand Management.
The event brought together energy and policy leaders, and showcased how real-time data and intelligent appliances can help the state meet its goal of 3.5 GW in demand reduction under Executive Order 654.
The concept is simple but revolutionary. By leveraging software and grid-connectivity, Reservoir turns the water heater into a thermal battery.
Instead of heating water whenever the tank runs low, Reservoir automatically shifts heating to moments when renewable energy supply is high or grid demand is low. For the grid, this means shedding load during peak hours, particularly at the local transformer level where infrastructure is most strained.
A Triple-Win Strategy
During the event, Reservoir and Sense, a home energy monitoring system embedded into smart meters, performed a live demonstration of overload avoidance. The Reservoir team showed how a connected water heater can automatically respond to signals of grid strain, reducing its draw without impacting the homeowner’s supply of hot water.
The demonstration highlighted a few key opportunities for the broader energy ecosystem:
For Homeowners: Lower energy bills through optimized water heating timing.
For Utilities: A more flexible, dispatchable load that helps avoid expensive hardware upgrades.
For the Environment: A system that automatically syncs water heating with periods of peak renewable generation.
The event included guest speakers at the forefront of grid resilience in Massachusetts, including:
Amy Boyd Rabin, Environmental League of Massachusetts
Jake Navarro, National Grid
Matthew Nelson, Apex Analytics
Michael Judge, Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Mike Phillips, Sense
CEO Luke Winston-Almanzar with Reservoir at Sense
Looking Ahead
Meeting Massachusetts' climate targets will require making our existing grid work harder and smarter. By treating household appliances such as Reservoir as active participants in energy management, we can improve grid reliability and accelerate decarbonization while keeping costs manageable for residents.
We look forward to continuing this work with our partners and helping build a more resilient energy future for New England.
Read more about our Climate Week events and Reservoir Home Sync here.