6. The Important Participants in Demand-Side Management: Power Consumers

Electric power consumers are the basis for demand-side management (DSM) practice. Increased power consumption efficiency, improved power consumption patterns, and implementation of orderly power consumption scheme can be realized only if power consumers participate. DSM becomes meaningless without the participation of electricity consumers. The good news is that the energy conservation consciousness of electricity consumers is continuously improving and the enthusiasm and motivation for DSM participation are also growing. This chapter introduces why electric power users are treated as important participants of DSM; moreover, ways and patterns by which electric power consumers from industrial, commercial, and other fields participate in DSM are introduced.