demand-side management (DSM)

An industry term that refers to controlling energy usage on the customer/demand side of the meter, particularly to shift customer use away from periods of high electrical demand. Demand side management can include a broad array of systems and programs used by utilities to control a customer’s energy consumption, for example, fluorescent lighting, load control and smart thermostats. These fall into the general categories of conservation, load management, and fuel substitution.

Examples of DSM include communications with utility-company customers (such as those recommending that they offset use during upcoming peak-price events to save money) and enabling hardware and software. Itron supports, for example, programmable communicating thermostat (PCT),electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE), and load control switch (LCS) products that utility company customers can use as part of their DSM solutions.