Positive Energy has rebranded itself as OPOWER. The company also announced that four new utilities, including Dominion, Xcel Energy, Seattle City Light and Commonwealth Edison, have selected OPOWER to provide residential customers with comparative Home Energy Reports that provide information empowering customers to save money by reducing excess energy usage in their homes.
In a separate announcement, OPOWER announced the latest evaluation of the energy savings delivered through its Home Energy Reporting system. Based on a 16-month evaluation of its longest running program, independent analysis verifies that Home Energy Reporting delivered an increased impact year over year, reaching up to 3.5 percent demand reduction across targeted households.
With the addition of the latest contracts, OPOWER now has more than 20 utility customers. The electric and gas utilities will be using its Home Energy Reporting platform, which includes printed reports, as well as an online energy management portal and customer service tools, to significantly improve the effectiveness of their energy efficiency portfolios by helping millions of households save on energy consumption.
The OPOWER Home Energy Reporting platform uses advanced analytics to evaluate individual customer’s energy usage patterns, combined with behavioral science techniques proven to motivate action. The highly targeted paper reports are sent to hundreds of thousands of utility customers in the mail— the channel that engages the broadest population—providing a detailed analysis of individual monthly energy usage patterns as compared to similar households within the same geographic location.
The reports provide pragmatic energy reduction tips for each customer based on their specific household characteristics and demographic information, including factors such as whether a home is heated by electricity or other fuels, or whether the resident is a likely renter or owner. The tips and recommendations focus on cost-effective and simple steps customers can take to reduce their energy costs.
