Demand-shift scenarios
Made by AI agents, with a person directing and checking the work. How this was made.
Last amended: 2026-10-25. See all amendments.
Illustrative only; no scenario is recommended. Values are rough avoided-capacity costs from shaving the 2025 peak; program costs are not subtracted.
Cost basis. A new simple-cycle gas turbine costs $836-$1,606 per kW to build (EIA AEO2025) [6]. Spread over its life at ~11.5% a year [7] plus fixed upkeep, that is about $103-$194 per kW-year. Each MW cut from the peak also avoids SPP's 16% planning reserve [4].
| Evergy (KCPL+WR) | 10,309 | 1 | 103 | 3 | 1 | 127 | 120 | 12.30 | 23.20 |
| Evergy (KCPL+WR) | 10,309 | 3 | 309 | 12 | 4 | 1,541 | 359 | 37 | 69.70 |
| Evergy (KCPL+WR) | 10,309 | 5 | 515 | 28 | 7 | 5,420 | 598 | 61.60 | 116 |
| Evergy (KCPL+WR) | 10,309 | 10 | 1,031 | 103 | 20 | 36,733 | 1,196 | 123 | 232 |
| SPP | 54,411 | 1 | 544 | 7 | 4 | 1,787 | 631 | 65 | 123 |
| SPP | 54,411 | 3 | 1,632 | 29 | 7 | 22,561 | 1,894 | 195 | 368 |
| SPP | 54,411 | 5 | 2,721 | 54 | 12 | 67,566 | 3,156 | 325 | 613 |
| SPP | 54,411 | 10 | 5,441 | 176 | 31 | 369,086 | 6,312 | 650 | 1,226 |
Ways a shift could happen
| Approach | What it does | Rough scale | Who benefits | Who pays / trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time-of-use rates | Higher price 4-8 PM summer | Small per home, broad | Participants who can shift; all customers via lower capacity | Households that cannot shift may pay more |
| Peak-time rebates / smart thermostats | Pre-cool, then ease off on alert days | ~1 kW per home in summer | Participants (rebates), all customers | Program admin; comfort |
| Water-heater and EV charging control | Moves flexible use off peak | Small per home, grows with EVs | Participants, all customers | Equipment and controls |
| Batteries (utility or customer) | Discharge in peak hours | 2-4 hour batteries cover most of 28 peak hours on 7 days | All customers; owners | Capital cost of batteries |
| Large-customer curtailment / data-center flexibility | Large loads cut or move on peak days | Hundreds of MW | All customers | Payments to large customers |
| Winter-focused programs | Heat-pump controls, insulation | Grows with electric heat | Electric-heat households | Up-front efficiency costs |
Why this is a small number of days: a 5% shave for Evergy's area touches only 28 hours on 7 days in 2025; a 10% shave touches 103 hours on 20 days [2]. Beyond about 10% the hours rise quickly and the economics change.