Control Types and Dispatch Strategies
Use this lesson to move from generic dispatch language into the control patterns your program, telemetry stack, and participating devices must actually support.
Common control types
Demand response programs use a mix of control styles depending on the asset, customer relationship, and operational objective. The most common patterns include simple shed commands, setpoint adjustments, schedule-based charge or discharge control, export limitation, and autonomous target-following where the device interprets higher-level intent locally.
| Control type | Typical use | Validation concern |
|---|---|---|
| Binary shed / restore | Simple curtailment of a load or process | Did the resource change state at the requested time and recover correctly? |
| Setpoint adjustment | Thermostats, HVAC, storage operating windows | Was the requested setpoint applied and reflected in resulting telemetry? |
| Power limit / charge rate | EV charging and battery dispatch | Did the device respect the requested cap over the full event window? |
| Schedule window | Flexible shifting, precharge, pre-cool, staged dispatch | Were timing boundaries honored consistently? |
| Autonomous target-following | Sites or aggregators that optimize locally | Can the local strategy still prove delivered performance transparently? |
Why control type changes telemetry expectations
A binary load shed program can sometimes be validated with coarse state and interval power data. A setpoint-based or schedule-based program usually needs richer telemetry and better timing fidelity. That means the control pattern should influence what telemetry you require, how you evaluate delivery, and what disputes you should expect during settlement review.
Control strategy is also a customer-experience decision
Engineering teams sometimes treat controls as purely technical. In reality, control type is also a trust and program-adoption decision. Residential customers may tolerate thermostat offsets differently from direct appliance interruption. C&I operators may prefer explicit schedules and opt-out windows over black-box autonomous control. Good program design recognizes this early instead of discovering it during rollout.