Customers: The Key to Unlocking Energy Efficiency
Posted on October 1, 2012 by Caitlin Lynch
Tags, Climate and Conservation, Emerging Technologies
Customer engagement is an essential factor in any successful energy efficiency program. Fantastic programs may exist, but without buy-in and utilization by customers, they are merely ideas. How do we go about engaging with customers? What are the barriers to customer engagement and what are some of the creative ways utilities and other entities have been meeting these challenges?
With the energy and cost savings benefits from energy efficiency becoming more evident each day, there are programs popping up everywhere designed to fit the diverse needs and interests of customers. Opower, one of the country’s leading energy information management companies engages customers by “making energy use personally relevant.” The company does this by creating easy to use consumer-side programs, such as a Facebook app, where an individual can view, track, receive updates, and share information about their energy use collected through smart meters. With this tool in their hands, customers are able to interface directly with information provided from their utility company and make informed decisions based on that data.
Other organizations take a different approach while still ensuring the same results of reduced energy use and consumer savings. The Community Action Partnership of Oregon (CAPO) provides assistance to households who cannot afford their energy bills, especially in winter when heating costs are the highest. Beyond this immediate support, CAPO also seeks to further engage people by providing education on how to conserve energy and budget for expenses and weatherization services. This holistic approach offers support to customers directly, enabling them to both make smart long-term choices about their own energy use and savings and receive the financial support they need in the short-term.
The Energy Trust of Oregon, best known for its residential energy efficiency programs, has programs that work with other sectors, such as industrial and agricultural customers. Companies hold many of the same concerns as households—such as costs, savings, information access, and buy-in—the approach is naturally different. Industries are concerned about productivity and workplace conditions. They also have diverse types of energy use and equipment. In order to address the specific needs of each company, ETO’s programs offer customized consultations and services. One successful pilot project of the ETO—in partnership with Cascade Energy Engineering—is the Kaizen Blitz project, which works with industrial customers on both a short- and long-term scale. During the short-term, week-long “blitz” low-no cost changes are often implemented immediately whenever possible, jump-starting both company buy-in and savings from energy efficiency. For the next year, energy use is more aggressively measured and opportunities for savings are identified, complemented with follow-up technical consulting during this time.
Although the programs mentioned take varied approaches to energy savings, there are some key areas of overlap. Education, on one’s own energy use and knowledge about how to access it and understand it are all essential steps towards making informed decisions. Also, understanding customers’ concerns and priorities is essential to working towards realistic solutions that will continue to be adopted. While some households can afford the upfront costs of replacing all appliances, others have trouble keeping the power on. Understanding these needs and capabilities will help build the types of lasting programs that effectively realize energy efficiency. Additionally, the importance of new technologies cannot be overstated, in all types of customer engagement approaches.
Representatives from all of the organizations mentioned in this article will be participating in a moderated panel at CUB’s upcoming fall conference, Energy Efficiency: The Next Generation, on October 26, 2012. For more detailed information about these and other programs, and to be part of the conversation, please consider attending.
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03/31/17 | 0 Comments | Customers: The Key to Unlocking Energy Efficiency