Systems and methods to aggregate loads for demand response events

1. A method comprising:

receiving at least one event parameter for a demand response event;

identifying a pool of customers, comprising a plurality of customers potentially usable to support the demand response event;

retrieving characteristics of each customer in the pool of customers; and

creating a plurality of groups of customers from the pool of customers based on the retrieved characteristics and the at least one event parameter by:

selecting a size of the plurality of groups;

determining a number of groups based on the size and a total number of determined type of power consuming devices of the plurality of customers; and

assigning the determined type of power consuming devices to the plurality of groups based on a distance of the determined type of power consuming devices to respective transformers, wherein the retrieved characteristics of each customer at least comprise the determined type of power consuming devices.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising:

selecting at least one group of customers from the plurality of groups of customers; and

transmitting at least one demand response signal to the customers in the selected group of customers.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the at least one event parameter comprises at least one of a location, a cost parameter, an amount of a load reduction, a duration of a load reduction, and a phase of a load reduction.

4. A method in accordance with claim 1 , further comprising:

storing the created plurality of groups of customers; and

creating a plurality of macro-groups, each macro-group including a plurality of groups selected from the stored plurality of groups.

5. A method in accordance with claim 4 , further comprising

selecting at least one macro-group from the plurality of macro-groups; and

transmitting at least one demand response signal to the customers in the selected macro-group.

6. A method in accordance with claim 5 , wherein said creating a plurality of groups of customers from the pool of customers based on the retrieved characteristics and the at least one parameter is performed prior to an occurrence of a demand response event, and wherein said creating a plurality of macro-groups is performed during the occurrence of the demand response event.

7. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the customers in the pool of customers consume a plurality of different phases of power, and wherein said creating a plurality of groups of customers from the pool of customers based on the retrieved characteristics and the at least one parameter comprises creating a plurality of groups each having about a same number of customers consuming each phase of power.

8. A method in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the pool of customers comprises a plurality of different types of customer, and wherein said creating a plurality of groups of customers from the pool of customers based on the retrieved characteristics and the at least one parameter comprises creating a plurality of groups each having about a same number of each type of customer.

9. A computing device for use with a demand response system, said computing device comprising:

a memory device for storing customer data of a plurality of customers of a utility; and

a processor coupled to said memory device and programmed to:

receive at least one event parameter for a demand response event;

identify a pool of customers from the plurality of customers of the utility, the pool of customers comprising a plurality of customers potentially usable to support the demand response event;

retrieve characteristics of each customer in the pool of customers; and

create a plurality of groups of customers from the pool of customers based on the retrieved characteristics and the at least one parameter by:

selecting a size of the plurality of groups;

determining a number of groups based on the size and a total number of determined type of power consuming devices of the plurality of customers; and

assigning the determined type of power consuming devices to the plurality of groups based on a distance of the determined type of power consuming devices to respective transformers, wherein the retrieved characteristics of each customer at least comprise the determined type of power consuming devices.

10. A computing device in accordance with claim 9 , wherein the at least one event parameter includes at least one of a location, a cost parameter, an amount of a load reduction, a duration of a load reduction, and a phase of a load reduction.

11. A computing device in accordance with claim 9 , wherein said processor is further programmed to:

select at least one group of customers from the plurality of groups of customers; and

transmit at least one demand response signal to the customers in the selected group of customers.

12. A computing device in accordance with claim 9 , wherein said processor is further programmed to:

store the created plurality of groups of customers to said memory device; and

create a plurality of macro-groups, each macro-group including a plurality of groups selected from the stored plurality of groups.

13. A computing device in accordance with claim 12 , wherein said processor is further programmed to:

select at least one macro-group from the plurality of macro-groups; and

transmit at least one demand response signal to the customers in the selected macro-group.

14. A computing device in accordance with claim 12 , wherein customers in the pool of customers consume power in a plurality of different phases, customers in the pool of customers have a plurality of different types of power consuming devices, and the pool of customers comprises a plurality of types of customer, and wherein said processor is further programmed to create the plurality of groups of customers from the pool of customers such that at least one of:

each group has about a same amount of each type of power consuming device;

each group has about a same number of customers consuming each phase of power; and

each group has about a same number of each type of customer.

15. A demand response system comprising:

a computing device comprising:

a memory device for storing customer data of a plurality of customers of a utility; and

a processor coupled to said memory device and programmed to:

receive at least one event parameter for a demand response event;

identify a pool of customers from the plurality of customers of the utility, the pool of customers comprising a plurality of customers potentially usable to support the demand response event;

retrieve characteristics of each customer in the pool of customers; and

create a plurality of groups of customers from the pool of customers based on the retrieved characteristics and the at least one parameter by:

selecting a size of the plurality of groups;

determining a number of groups based on the size and a total number of determined type of power consuming devices of the plurality of customers; and

assigning the determined type of power consuming devices to the plurality of groups based on a distance of the determined type of power consuming devices to respective transformers, wherein the retrieved characteristics of each customer at least comprise the determined type of power consuming devices.

16. A demand response system in accordance with claim 15 , wherein the at least one event parameter includes at least one of a location, a cost parameter, an amount of a load reduction, a duration of a load reduction, and a phase of a load reduction.

17. A demand response system in accordance with claim 15 , wherein the processor is further programmed to:

select at least one group of customers from the plurality of groups of customers; and

transmit at least one demand response signal to the customers in the selected group of customers.

18. A demand response system in accordance with claim 15 , wherein said processor is further programmed to:

store the created plurality of groups of customers to the memory device; and

create a plurality of macro-groups, each macro-group including a plurality of groups selected from the stored plurality of groups.

19. A demand response system in accordance with claim 18 , wherein the processor is further programmed to:

select at least one macro-group from the plurality of macro-groups; and

transmit at least one demand response signal to the customers in the selected macro-group.