physical relays

Used to physically control and connect one or more assets through a Direct-to-Grid load control switch (LCS). Typical assets are HVACs, water heaters, and pool pumps. Each relay allows control signals to turn the asset behind the switch on or off.

An HVAC, for example, could include multiple components (such as a first stage compressor, second stage compressor, fan, and heat strip), each of which is connected to and controlled by a separate physical relay.

When sending a DRLC event, you might want to control only certain components. For example, the utility might want to turn off the compressors but keep the fan on. The switches accomplish this through virtual relays, each of which is associated with multiple physical relays.