OAKLAND, California — Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), Rewiring America, and Google are launching a virtual power plant (VPP) in Bay Area communities to support grid reliability and help manage electricity costs.

The initiative, called Smart Home Assets for Reliability and Efficiency (SHARE), will coordinate home batteries, smart devices, and battery-enabled heat pumps. The program aims to expand available electric capacity during periods of high demand while helping participating households manage energy use.

PG&E is working with Tesla, Sunrun, and Renew Home to enroll nearly 21,000 existing flexible energy devices. The resources are expected to begin supporting the grid as early as fall 2026.

The program also includes new electrification technology deployments. Carrier is the launch partner for these installations and will provide battery-enabled heat pumps, including the Carrier Performance Series Variable-Speed Heat Pump with EnerSync.

The system is designed to store energy and shift electricity use to different periods. According to Carrier, this approach can help lower customer costs, maintain comfort and support grid reliability during peak demand.

Eligible customers in Santa Clara and Alameda counties will have the opportunity to receive new high-efficiency, battery-enabled heat pumps, lower monthly energy bills through smarter energy management, and improved home comfort and resilience.

PG&E and Demand Side Analytics will coordinate the distributed energy resources to help unlock additional capacity on the regional electric transmission system.

Google will fully fund the program, including customer incentives, technology deployment and program delivery. Rewiring America will work with households and local installers to deploy and enroll energy-saving electric technologies. PG&E will lead planning, analysis, and validation to evaluate customer impacts, system performance and longer-term benefits.

The initiative is intended to complement PG&E’s ongoing investments in transmission and distribution infrastructure. By coordinating existing home energy devices and newly deployed technologies, the program will test whether targeted residential investments can help meet growing electricity demand and improve grid utilization.

The approach also gives participating households opportunities to manage energy costs and earn rewards for smart features they already use.

SHARE is designed as a proof of concept that could inform future approaches to transmission constraints, local capacity challenges, and rising electricity demand. Over time, the model could expand to commercial, industrial and utility-scale applications.

PG&E and Rewiring America will begin contacting eligible customers in fall 2026. The program is expected to run through 2027, with initial findings scheduled for release in late 2026 or early 2027.

The SHARE virtual power plant initiative highlights a potential growth opportunity for HVAC contractors as utilities increasingly use connected home technologies to manage electricity demand. Carrier’s battery-enabled heat pumps will play a role in the program, which combines existing home energy devices with new electrification technologies to support grid reliability and help lower energy costs. For contractors, the initiative underscores the importance of understanding battery-enabled heat pumps, smart energy management, and grid-interactive HVAC systems. As utilities explore ways to coordinate distributed energy resources, contractors who understand these technologies may be better positioned to serve customers seeking efficient heating and cooling solutions.

More information about the program and eligibility is available at energyshare.rewiringamerica.org.