Peak Performance Program

Steps

1. Contact the Peak Performance Program team:
   phone (1-888-624-3031),
   email (support@peakperformanceprogram.ca), or
   submit a completed contact form.

2. A program representative will reply to you within two business days.

For eligibility criteria, see the program requirements (.pdf).

Roles

Program participants

• Participants enroll in the Peak Performance Program, register eligible facilities, coordinate demand response event participation of their contributors, and submit measurement data for performance and settlement purposes.

Program contributors

• Owners or operators of commercial facilities participate in the Peak Performance Program via a participant and provide predominantly HVAC load curtailment during demand response events.
  
  

Responsibilities

Program participants are responsible for:

• Program registration: Applying to participate and submitting aggregated HVAC and non-HVAC demand response (DR) Contributor portfolios.
• Contributor management: Identifying and enrolling eligible facilities.
• Event coordination: Managing communications and logistics with contributors during DR events.
• Monitoring and feedback: Tracking performance and providing feedback to contributors.
• Data reporting: Submitting post-event and seasonal performance data, including metering and baseline information.
• Contributor Support: Coaching contributors on readiness, metering and curtailment strategies.

Program contributors are responsible for:

• Participation: Enrolling and participating in the program through a registered program participant. Contributors may enroll in the program directly, provided they meet the eligibility requirements for Participants outlined in the program requirements.
• Event participation: Curtailing HVAC and non-HVAC loads during scheduled DR events.
• Performance monitoring: Tracking HVAC and non-HVAC system response and ensuring operational readiness for events.
• Meter data facilitation: Providing access to interval data via your local utility’s meters and sub-metering systems.
• Load contribution assessment: Collaborating with Participants to determine HVAC and non-HVAC DR potential and actual curtailment.

Eligible facilities are non‑residential commercial, institutional, or municipal buildings located in Ontario, each defined as a single facility with a unique street address. Facilities must be Class B customers (not participating in the Industrial Conservation Initiative) and must not hold a capacity obligation under the IESO Capacity Auction for the same summer season. For further details regarding eligibility, refer to the Program Requirements. (.pdf)

MURBs with commercial ownership can participate with eligible measures, such as centralized HVAC systems, under a commercial electricity account.

At least 75 percent of the total proposed demand response contribution from each enrolled facility must originate from HVAC-related measures. HVAC measures may include:

• Central air conditioning systems;
• Rooftop units (RTUs);
• Chillers and cooling towers;
• Variable air volume (VAV) systems;
• Smart thermostats and zone-level temperature control;
• Demand-controlled ventilation (DCV);
• Heat pumps; and
• Other commercial systems and technologies used to regulate indoor temperature.

To support flexibility and maximize DR potential, the program allows up to 25 percent of the total estimated demand response contribution to come from non-HVAC measures, provided they are:

• Lighting controls (e.g., dimming, zone shut-off);
• Process load curtailment (e.g., refrigeration, pumps, motors);
• Battery storage discharge coordination if used to offset HVAC load; and/or
• Curtailment of non-critical building systems (e.g., escalators, decorative lighting).

Fossil fuel generators are not an eligible measure and cannot contribute to the DR curtailment.

The pre-season phase (Jan. 1 - May 30) focuses on program set-up, participant registration, onboarding, and readiness assessment.

The event season begins June 1 and runs through Sept. 30; this is the active operational phase where DR events are executed, and performance is monitored.

The post-season covers Oct. 1 through Dec. 31, and focuses on performance validation, settlement, and program evaluation.

Events will occur on business days, typically between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET, lasting up to three (3) hours. Participants will receive day-ahead standby notices and same-day activation notices by 12 p.m. ET. Facilities will reduce loads during events.

The IESO retains the ability to call events outside of this standard window if system conditions warrant it.

The Save on Energy Peak Performance Program offers the following incentives to participants. Please refer to the Program Requirements for more information on the requirements and calculations for the performance incentive and enabling incentive.

1. Performance incentive

Program participants will receive a standard capacity payment based on the average megawatt (MW) curtailed during the summer season. This payment is informed by the IESO Capacity Auction clearing price and is calculated as follows:

Performance incentive = ($/MW-season) × (Average MW curtailed over the season)

The $/MW-season rate is informed by the IESO’s Capacity Auction clearing price that applies for that time period.

For example, the 2025 Capacity Auction was held from Wednesday, Nov. 26 to Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, for the summer 2026 obligation period. The Post-Auction report highlighting the clearing price was published on Dec. 4, 2025.

For the 2026 program year, the performance incentive rate is $54,845.40/MW-season.

2.Enabling incentive

To support onboarding and reduce barriers to entry, participants are eligible to receive a one-time enabling incentive for their contributors to install equipment or for services required for the contributor to participate in the program. To ensure the enabling incentive is applied appropriately, participants must submit documentation demonstrating that the contributor has incurred eligible upfront costs.

For the 2026 program year, the enabling incentive rate is $20/kW ($20,000/MW).

Both performance incentives and enabling incentives are paid to participants, who are responsible for determining and distributing any payments to contributors based on the terms and conditions agreed upon between the participant and contributor.

Participants in the 2026 program must re-apply and update their contributor portfolio in the 2027 Pre-Event Season and application details, which will then be assessed by program representatives, along with other eligibility criteria in order to participate in the program in 2027.

As a contributor, you must not hold a capacity obligation or be part of a resource portfolio participating in the IESO Capacity Auction for the same summer season as the Peak Performance Program.  Contributors must also not be a participant in the Industrial Conservation Initiative (i.e., contributors must be classified as Class B).