Sonoma Clean Power is launching a project to install smart thermostats for up to 1,000 income-qualified customers at no upfront cost, funded by a $4.99 million grant from the California Energy Commission. This initiative is part of a broader effort to expand a multi-resource virtual power plant and increase participation in automated demand response programs among lower-income customers. SCP is also partnering with community organizations for multilingual outreach to help low-income customers reduce energy bills. The utility company's Virtual Power Plant aims to strengthen customer relationships, improve grid efficiency, and potentially reduce wholesale power costs by getting people more interactive with the grid.