By Marcelle Dibrell
The California Energy Commission has taken the first step that will eventually allow state authorities to control operating times for residential pool equipment. To make this possible, beginning two years from now, all pool pump controllers sold in California will have to be equipped with “smart” technology.
The CEC voted on October 18 to implement these new regulations, requiring new pool pump controllers that can adapt to power grid conditions.
In short, the CEC will require that beginning September 29, 2025, all new pool controllers must be internet connected devices and have a set default schedule, to operate during specified daylight hours, when energy is cheapest and cleanest.
“We have a lot of pools in California,” Andrew McAllister, the commissioner in charge of the rulemaking, said in a YouTube video. “They’re wonderful. They use a lot of energy, and they waste a lot of energy.”
The new regulations are being heralded as the first-in-the-nation Flexible Demand Appliance Standards for residential pool controls. According to a CEC press release, “This adoption represents a major milestone in Cali-
Commissioner Andrew McAllister explains the new regulations requiring new pool pump controllers to adapt to power grid conditions. The regulation will require that beginning Sept. 29, 2025 all new pool controllers must be internet connected devices with a schedule of operation based on power grid conditions. Visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP6lNwuPMeg to watch the video. fornia’s efforts to ensure technologies in homes and businesses support the state’s clean energy priorities while also saving consumers money.”
The new standards require that pool controls default to operating pool equipment when both electricity prices and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are low. These default settings are between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and apply to controls for pool filter pumps, pool pressure cleaner booster pumps, and electric pool heaters. (Standards do not apply to hot tubs).
The default settings will not allow the controller to automatically operate any of those features between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. local time. Consumers will have the ability to override the default schedules.
Pool pump controls are just the first of the household appliances the state will “upgrade” under S.B. 49, a 2019 law that authorized the CEC to set standards aimed at easing demand during peak energy usage periods. McAllister said water heaters or storage batteries will likely be next. Pool controls are the first partly because “they are a little more straightforward” than others, he said.
The objective in this series of appliance requirements is to reach the state’s goal of net zero emissions by 2045. California is looking to smart electronic devices as part of the solution because they can automatically shift to daytime use when solar power is available.
The Flexible Demand Appliance Standards will enable both the customer or a third party — such as a load-serving entity or a grid balancing authority — the capability to schedule, shift, or curtail energy use with the customer’s consent. (Consent may be express or implied, the final regulatory document states.)
The CEC states that the flexible demand standards will not negatively impact consumers because they will allow consumers to automate their appliances so that energy use times can be scheduled, shifted, or curtailed to reduce GHG associated with electricity generation.
The new rules also establish cybersecurity standards to protect consumers using flexible demand appliances connected to the internet. Settings may be changed by users at any time to meet their needs, and consent is required for the device to send and receive signals. “These standards represent a new tool that will help achieve California’s transition to 100-percent clean energy,” McAllister said. “Flexing energy demand makes more energy available for when it’s needed most to support the grid.”
According to the CEC’s press release: The standard will help California achieve its goal to make up to 7,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity available through the smarter use of existing clean energy resources. Altogether, the rule is expected to deliver nearly 400 MW of permanent shift flexible capacity by 2030 and 560 MW by 2033.
In the first year, the standards will make it possible for consumers to shift 64 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of electricity usage off peak.
By the time every installed pool control offers flexible demand, the yearly load shift potential goes up to 682 GWh of consumer electricity use. This avoids 394,000 metric tons of GHG emissions, the equivalent of removing 85,000 gasoline-powered cars off the road.
In addition to helping stabilize the electric grid, many consumers will save money on their electricity bills, the CEC stated. Consumers on a time-of-use rate plan can save an estimated $1,131 over the life of the pool control. Doing so also helps avoid GHG emissions by operating appliances when energy is cheapest and cleanest.
