What Is a Connected Community?

A Connected Community is a group of energy efficient, connected buildings with flexible end-use equipment and other distributed energy resources (DERs) that collectively work to maximize building, and grid efficiency and reliability while reducing costs and meeting occupants’ comfort and needs.

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What are Coordinated Controls?

Enabling community-scale benefits from demand flexibility and energy efficiency using controls to coordinate the operation of buildings and distributed energy resources both behind-the-meter and across multiple buildings.

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What Are Grid Services?

Grid services such as shedding, shifting, and modulating loads provide dynamic load control to support the electric grid. Modulating loads provide ancillary services and voltage control. Grid services support the generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity by providing value through avoided electricity system costs.

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Efficient residential and commercial buildings equipped with smart technologies and flexible load capability such as smart thermostats, smart lighting, and smart water heaters, among others. Distributed energy re- sources (DERs) include but are not limited to solar pho- tovoltaic generation, electric vehicle charging, energy storage, wind turbines, combined heat and power (CHP), and microgrids. Integration of coordinated controls such as smart sensors and automated controls are used for energy efficiency and load flexibility to provide coordinated management both within individual buildings and across multiple buildings and/or DERs. Supporting the grid with the ability to provide a quantifiable grid service. Energy Efficient, Smart Buildings Integration of DERs Coordinated Controls Supporting the Grid A group of energy efficient, connected buildings with flexible end-use equipment  and other distributed energy resources (DERs) that collectively work to maximize building, and grid efficiency and reliability while reducing costs and meeting occupants’ comfort and needs. Characteristics of a Connected Community

DOE Connected Communities Projects

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Featured Resources

A National Roadmap for Grid-Interactive Efficient Buildings
Key recommendations and actions for addressing the top challenges to GEB adoption
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Aggregated Distributed Energy Resources in 2024: The Fundamentals
This report builds upon existing literature and examples of ADER pricing and programs in practice to equip regulatory commission and state office staff with the fundamentals of ADER grid services, valuation and compensation approaches.
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Architecting the Future: Exploring Coordinated Control Frameworks for Connected Communities
Several types of coordinated control architectures have evolved in the Connected Communities program, influenced by the stakeholder use case, existing market conditions, and the types of building and energy resources integrated.
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Learn More About Connected Communities, Demand Flexibility, and Grid Services

General Information
What is a Connected Community, an energy efficient, smart building, and a provision of grid services?
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Technologies and Controls
Discover how technologies can provide grid services through demand flexibility and efficiency
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Users, Providers, and Operators
Resources for stakeholders that enhance the use of grid-edge measures to optimize demand flexibility and efficiency
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Utility Programs
Resources for utilities on the provision of grid services from a dispersed set of grid-edge measures and technologies
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Policies
Research and information on relevant financing and benefits
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