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MARK AUSTIN THOMAS: It's going to be a scorcher on the East Coast again today. In New York, a lot of big buildings have agreed to cut their power usage in exchange for getting some cash back. Ashley Milne-Tyte has the story.

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ASHLEY MILNE-TYTE: Macy's, Starwood Hotels, New York University Medical Center. They're some of the institutions that have received $110,000 for promising to give back to the New York grid if they're asked to…

REENA RUSSELL: "The buildings are being paid to make a commitment, not to change their consumption on a regular basis, so they say that I will be on call for the months that I participate in this program."

That's Reena Russell of Consumer Power Line, which has helped these businesses identify where they can scale back.

Garry Brown works with New York's grid operator. He says middlemen like Russell's company are bringing many more businesses on board.

GARRY BROWN: "They try to put together a portfolio of customers that can reduce mega-watts instead of kilowatts."

Not to mention eliminate the need for another power plant.

In New York, I'm Ashley Mine-Tyte for Marketplace.