Getting Started with Renew Home via NRTC DERMS
Last updated: September 3, 2026
Renew Home operates Energy Shift Capacity (ESC) — a grid resource built from millions of Energy Shift–enabled smart thermostats, delivered as short, comfort-aware temperature adjustments you can schedule during periods of grid need. Before any events can be scheduled, Renew Home has to determine which of its enrolled homes fall inside your service territory. That's what this guide covers: the three ways to make that match, and what to prepare for each.
The three matching options
The three ways to match your territory to Energy Shift Capacity and what each one needs from you.
Option | What you send | Best for |
|---|---|---|
Zip codes | A list of postal codes you serve exclusively | The fastest path to set up. Lowest fidelity — a zip code shared with another utility's territory can't be matched, and this mode doesn't support custom attributes. |
Service addresses | A list of every service address in your program area | The highest accuracy. Works even in territories you share with other utilities, and supports custom attributes (feeder, substation, rate class) for targeted event scheduling. |
Hybrid (both) | Both files together | Maximizes enrollment: address matching across your full territory, plus zip-code matching to recover homes in your exclusive zip codes that didn't match on address. |
Texture does not recommend deriving zip codes or addresses from public databases that can be inferred from your GIS boundaries. This approach isn’t reliable and most databases are out of date, which doesn’t give full coverage or account for zip codes that you may share with another utility.
What to send
Pick your matching option and prepare the corresponding file(s). One file for zip codes, one for service addresses, or both for hybrid — see the field tables below for what each file needs.
Required vs. optional fields
Zip code file — one column, one row per zip code.
Field | Required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
postal_code | Required | Must be a unique, valid 5-digit US ZIP code — no ZIP+4, dashes, or other characters. Only include codes you serve exclusively; a code shared with another utility's territory can't be matched this way. |
Service address file — one row per address. The file must be unique on address (all address fields combined, case-insensitive).
Field | Required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
primary_address_line | Required | Street number, direction, name, and type (e.g., "123 FAKE ST"). |
secondary_address_line | Optional | Apartment, unit, suite, or similar (e.g., "APT 5") — its own field, not appended to the line above. |
city | Required | |
administrative_area | Required | Two-letter USPS state or territory code. |
postal_code | Required | Same 5-digit-only rule as the zip code file above. |
attribute_<name> | Optional | Any number of custom columns for targeted event scheduling later — feeder, substation, rate class, and so on. Name each one with only letters, numbers, and underscores (1–50 characters); values up to 500 characters, and leave a cell blank where an attribute doesn't apply. |
exclusion_reason | Optional | Flags an address that should be left out of this program — for example, already enrolled in a different one. |
What happens after you send a file
There's nothing further to do on your end. You'll get a summary report once it's processed. If something's wrong with the file (a formatting or validation error), the whole file is rejected rather than partially loaded, along with a report explaining what needs to be fixed so you can correct it and resend.
Sample files
esc_2026_09_02_postal_codes.xlsx — the zip-code format.
esc_2026_09_02_service_addresses.xlsx— the service address format.
esc_hashed_addresses._YYYY_MM_DD_.xlsx–full territory, plus zip-code matching.
Good to know
Zip codes only work where you're the exclusive provider. A zip code shared with another utility's territory can't be matched or enrolled under zip-code-only matching — hybrid mode exists specifically to recover those homes through address matching instead.
Custom attributes require address matching. Only the service address (or hybrid) option lets you tag homes with attributes like feeder, substation, or rate class, which you can then use to target specific segments when scheduling an event.
Infrequent updates are normal. Many partners send one file a year, since service territories and address lists don't change often.