WASHINGTON, Nov. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Association for Demand Response & Smart Grid (ADS) welcomed today three additional members to the organization. The new members are California Independent System Operator (ISO), Dimplex North America, and Negawatt Business Solutions.

"Our newest members are further testimony to the growth that is taking place in the demand response and smart grid space," said Dan Delurey, Executive Director of ADS, "and it also reflects the diversity of the companies and organizations that are working to deliver the benefits of DR and smart grid to electricity customers throughout North America." Delurey continued, "California is a leader in demand response and California ISO is now moving to facilitate the increased use of demand response at the wholesale level, Dimplex directly serves residential customers with its smart grid-ready heating appliances, and Negawatt Business Solutions works with commercial customers to optimally manage electricity use. These entities exemplify the many ways that demand response is being deployed today, and we look forward to their contributions to ADS and the added diversity they will bring to it."

The California ISO operates 80 percent of the state's wholesale transmission grid, providing open and non-discriminatory access supported by a competitive energy market and comprehensive planning efforts. Partnering with about a hundred client organizations, the nonprofit public benefit corporation is dedicated to the continual development and reliable operation of a modern grid that operates for the benefit of consumers. The ISO bulk power market allocates space on transmission lines, maintains operating reserves and matches supply with demand.

Dimplex North America has been in the electric heating business for over 20 years and is a member of the Glen Dimplex Group, the world leader in electric heating with over 10 million electric thermal storage heaters sold in Europe alone. To meet Europe's 2020 commitment to integrate more renewables into their generation mix, European electric utilities have partnered with Dimplex to design the next generation energy storage system. The Quantum energy system with sub-1-second switching for advanced demand response, demand dispatch type applications such as load balancing wind generation in off-grid communities and ancillary benefits, is currently going through pilots around the world to showcase its intelligence and functionality.

Negawatt Business Solutions' singular purpose is to satisfy the full spectrum of a business's energy management needs from demand response revenue programs to energy efficiency and commodity supply management. Negawatt's bundled package approach allows customers to take advantage of, and obtain greater savings and systems performance. Negawatt will provide an organization with cutting-edge strategies, state-of-the-art energy management tools & revenue programs, and a highly skilled team of energy experts to drive the bottom line and improve the carbon footprint on a sustained basis.

About the Association for Demand Response & Smart Grid

The Association for Demand Response & Smart Grid (ADS) is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization consisting of professionals and organizations involved in demand response and smart grid. It provides services to help its members in the conduct of their work and in the attainment of their personal, corporate and governmental objectives. ADS seeks to establish and grow a demand response "community" of policymakers, utilities, system operators, technology companies, consumers, and other stakeholders.

Group Members of ADS are Ameren, American Public Power Association, Arizona Public Service, California ISO, ComEd, Comverge, Con Edison, Conservation Services Group, Constellation, Dimplex, Duke Energy, Emerson Climate Technologies, ENBALA, Energate, Exelon, Freeman, Sullivan & Co, GE, ISO New England, Joule Assets, Landis+Gyr, MISO, National Grid, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, Navigant Energy Practice, Negawatt, NYSERDA, On-Ramp Wireless, Opower, Pacific Gas & Electric, PECO, PJM Interconnection, Reliant, Rodan Energy Solutions, Salt River Project, San Diego Gas & Electric, Siemens, Southern California Edison, Southern Company, and Tennessee Valley Authority.     

More information on ADS can be found at: www.demandresponsesmartgrid.org

SOURCE Association for Demand Response & Smart Grid (ADS)