WELLESLEY, MA, June 3, 2026. DemandQ today launched DR Max, a utility-direct demand response platform built so California commercial facility owners keep 90% of demand response program revenue. Enrollment is open today at demandq.ai/drmax.
DR Max will serve commercial facilities across all three California investor-owned utility (IOU) service territories, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison (SCE), and San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E), under the Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP) and Capacity Bidding Program (CBP). DR Max is built for retail, warehouse, food service, distribution, and other commercial buildings with controllable load, from single sites to multi-site portfolios.
DR Max returns 90% of program revenue to the facility owner, closes enrollment in 15 minutes, and asks for only a program-year commitment with no multi-year obligation. More demand response revenue stays with the California businesses producing the load.
“California utilities pay businesses to reduce their power use when the grid needs help, and DR Max is built so most of that payment reaches the building that actually turned down the power,” said Jerry Ventura, president of DemandQ. “The building owner keeps 90% of the payment, enrollment takes 15 minutes, and the commitment is one year.”
“The bigger goal is access,” Ventura added. “Demand response should be open to every commercial building in California. We took out the paperwork, the upfront costs, and the multi-year commitments. If a building can turn down load when the grid needs it, the owner can enroll today and get paid for it.”
Facility managers and chief engineers enroll digitally at demandq.ai/drmax, with no site visit, no hardware, and no upfront cost. DemandQ handles contract closure and integration with whatever load control the facility already has, from a full BAS to a simple load switch. When ELRP or CBP events are called, DR Max responds automatically, with no comfort impact and no manual action from facility staff. Enrollment is a one-time 15-minute action; payments follow each dispatched event. Once the utility settles, DemandQ disburses each facility’s 90% share via its fully secure and guaranteed electronic payment system.
“California needs more flexible commercial load this summer, and the buildings producing that load should be paid for providing it,” Ventura said. “DR Max is open today and scaling through the 2026 summer DR season. The 90% payout works the same for any commercial building: a single retail store, a regional warehouse, or anything in between.”
Enrollment is open today at demandq.ai/drmax. California commercial facilities can check eligibility and begin a 15-minute digital enrollment. DemandQ's customer success team supports onboarding through contract closure.
DemandQ is an electricity demand and energy management platform serving commercial and industrial facilities across the United States. The product suite includes Intelligent Demand Optimization (IDO), Automated Demand Response (ADR), Price Mitigation, and DERMS/DemandMaster. DR Max, DemandQ's California demand-response aggregation platform, launches today across PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E service territories under each utility's Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP) and Capacity Bidding Program (CBP). DemandQ serves national retailers, restaurant chains, financial institutions, and a growing network of energy service partners. For more information, visit http://www.demandq.ai.
