We Transformed Commercial Buildings into Flexible Grid Assets—Here’s What We Learned

Virtual power plants (VPPs) are increasingly supporting everyday grid operations—not just emergencies. As flexible load becomes more predictable and dispatchable, commercial buildings are emerging as reliable, day-to-day grid assets. Recent advances in automation, connectivity, and behind-the-meter technologies enable tapping into buildings at scale, even when the underlying systems are messy or outdated.

On paper, the idea of “flexing” building load sounds straightforward: pre-cool in the summer, pre-heat in the winter, and shed load when the peak arrives. In practice, building networks, control systems, and operations is anything but simple. Each building has its own quirks, from legacy practices and automation system layers to unpredictable equipment.

Edo’s journey to create a solution to turn these buildings into efficient, reliable grid assets has been humbling and exciting. As the year wraps up, we’re reflecting on what we’ve learned about building capabilities, operator needs and delivering dependable flexibility at scale. Here are four key lessons from transforming commercial buildings into VPPs.

1. Commercial building systems are complicated, and interventions require adjustments.

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), along with building automation (BAS) or building management systems (BMS), are often complex. They’re prone to dropped network connections and may respond unpredictably as seasons transition. Many BAS/BMS networks aren’t modern or high-performance, meaning reliability is only as strong as the weakest router.

We’ve learned to expect that with every load shift, at least one piece of equipment may fail to respond as expected due to communication or configuration idiosyncrasies. Over time, we’ve improved our automated controls testing, built buffers into our expected load-flex capacity, reduced analysis time on events, and created a library of potential failures and solutions—including promising applications using artificial intelligence (AI).

One key part of making this work at scale is Edo’s gateway, which bypasses messy building system layers and connects directly to HVAC systems via the Building Automation and Control Network (BACnet) communication protocol. This approach avoids costly control rewrites and contractor visits while unlocking reliable load flex, even in older buildings with odd configurations. By simplifying access to building systems, the gateway turns complexity into a predictable, controllable resource for the grid.

2. Not all buildings have load to flex in every season.

Some buildings are ideal for load flexing in the summer but less so in the winter—and vice versa. For example, an office with natural gas heating may offer little flexibility on winter mornings. Most of its heating isn’t electric, limiting the shiftable load without affecting comfort. Similarly, if a school is empty on summer evenings, HVAC, lighting, and other systems aren’t running. This leaves little electricity to adjust and fewer windows for flexibility events.

Reliability doesn’t come from any single building; diversity is key. A portfolio of different building types makes flexible load predictable and dependable. That’s why we take a portfolio approach and recruit buildings strategically to ensure reliable, on-demand flexibility. We work with a wide variety of buildings—fitness centers, libraries, hospitals, offices, schools, warehouses, community centers, and more. When combined in a VPP, these buildings complement one another, creating a robust, comprehensive portfolio.

3. Building operators want to participate in the grid; automation makes it possible.

We’ve always known that commercial building operators wanted to support the grid, but traditional demand response made participation difficult. Manual direct response was time-consuming with few incentives and too much occupant impact. Many operators we spoke with had participated in direct response at some point but ultimately dropped out for such reasons.

Automation changed everything. With a light-touch, minimal-impact approach, operators no longer have to choose between supporting the grid and maintaining comfort. Instead of tolerating demand flexibility events, many facility teams started asking how they could flex more load.

We also learned how much operators value a simpler customer experience. Schools, nonprofits, and multi-building portfolios often face a maze of fragmented utility programs, conflicting tariffs, and unclear points of contact. By acting as a unified interface and automating the hard parts, we eliminate friction. Utilities often fund the program as well, overcoming the barrier to entry. When we reduce lift, automate flexing, and protect comfort, operators become enthusiastic partners.

4. Demand flexibility is critical for engaging and retaining commercial customers.

Demand flexibility engages commercial customers more effectively than traditional demand response because it can provide value daily—not just during peak events. By continuously optimizing load (shedding, shifting, and shaping), we help buildings operate more efficiently, lower energy costs, and maintain reliable performance.

Operators also value access to better data and our team’s support. When demand flexibility and demand response are integrated rather than siloed, it creates a seamless experience that’s predictable and easy to manage. By improving overall building performance year-round, demand flexibility creates a foundation for long-term participation.

Looking back on the past year, we’re grateful for what we’ve learned. Each test, each challenge, and each success has improved both our solution and our understanding of how to make commercial buildings reliable, flexible grid assets. As we move forward, we’re excited to push buildings further, flex more load, and continue deepening our relationships with operators and utilities. At a time when flexible load is critical for keeping electricity reliable and affordable, we’re proud to demonstrate the value that commercial buildings bring to the grid.

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