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Demand Response (DR) programs pay customers to temporarily reduce electricity consumption in response to supply conditions. When the electric grid is under stress or prices reach a specific threshold, DR program participants are asked to reduce (or "curtail") their energy use. Customers can manually curtail electricity consumption (turn off lights, switch to on-site generation, etc.) or automated systems can be set to respond to these events. Depending on the program, participants with ERAs based on demand response are either paid when events occur or are paid for being available to curtail.

Energy Efficiency measures reduce the electricity used to perform the same task. This can be accomplished in many ways, including replacing aging equipment or improving your facility’s insulation. Your electric bill may be reduced if you reduce either of the following: the total amount of electricity you use or the amount of electricity you use during hours when the grid is being used at peak levels.

Renewable Energy is energy produced from sustainable resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat. Financing for renewable energy is available through utilities, governments, and private companies, depending on location. Many renewable energy technologies are not yet cost-competitive with mature fossil fuel generation technologies. This will change as production scales up. To overcome this barrier, governments have created ERA markets that offer additional value for renewable energy.