Introduction  As the reform in the energy sector continues to deepen, the introduction of a demand response mechanisms guided by market factors have become an inevitable trend in the development of regional integrated energy system (RIES).

  Method  Based on the coupling characteristics of multiple energy flows in RIES, three different flexible loads were divided according to the demand response potential and user energy consumption characteristics, which were shiftable load, dispatchable load and reducible load. Finally, a RIES operation optimization model was established considering the flexible load demand response for cooling, heating and power. The load demand response plan and the optimization results of each energy network are obtained by using the economic benefits of both supply and demand sides, the peak and valley values of electricity load, and the values of carbon emissions as the optimization objective of the model.

  Result  The results indicate that demand response reduces the total cost of RIES by 3.70% and the peak to valley ratio of electricity load by 29.7%.

  Conclusion  The feasibility and practicality of the proposed model are verified in this paper.