An approach for influencing demand response event performance through a variable incentive signal. Automated demand response programs may achieve an energy demand reduction by signaling participating consumers to curtail energy usage for a certain period of time, referred to as an “event”. Customers may be free to “opt-out” and withdraw their participation from DR events, on a per-event basis. When a participant opts out, the quantity of energy savings of the event may be reduced. Participating customers may be sent a message offering an incentive to tolerate an ongoing DR event. As the event progresses, the DR operator may dynamically monitor and modulate the rate of opt-outs. The present approach may be different in that instead of modulating the number of participants that are included in the event, it may modulate an incentive signal to keep already-included participants from opting out.