(Portland, OR) -- Pacific Power is launching a pilot program to help ease strain on the electrical grid during summer days. Residential customers who choose to participate receive a free device allowing the utility to power off air conditioners or heat pumps for around five minutes. When hundreds of those units are deactivated at once, the company says the grid can rebalance. As an incentive, participants in the "Cool Keeper" program receive 30-dollar credit each year. It's rolling out first in the Rogue Valley and Central Oregon, but will expand in 2026.