The US’s First Dual-Fuel Home Energy Reporting Program
In the autumn of 2008, a northwestern IOU launched an innovative Home Energy Reporting program, featuring both natural gas and electric usage insights within a single report. The combined format—driving savings simultaneously across both fuels—is an extremely cost-effective approach for the utility. The program has been well-received by customers, and has sustained energy savings for nearly 30 months. The utility subsequently expanded its initial deployment of 40,000 homes to 140,000 households. Improving Customer Relations
The Opower program has had a positive impact on customer satisfaction: a survey of customers revealed that report recipients are generally more satisfied with the utility than non-recipients. The benefits of the program were so appealing that several municipalities within the IOU’s territory proactively pursued a reporting program. With funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, these municipalities worked with the IOU and Opower to implement their own Home Energy Reporting programs. Putting Energy Usage into Context
Opower’s Home Energy Reports feature normative comparisons that focus not only on general energy use, but on specific areas of a home’s energy load. Through advanced data analysis, Opower is able to disaggregate heating usage from overall consumption, and present that information as a normative comparison. This provides customers with the specific insights they need to take greater control of their energy consumption.