All 50,000 programme participants will receive access to this information through a web portal, with 35,000 of the participants also receiving paper reports through the mail.
The Opower Home Energy Reports are created using advanced analytics that evaluate customers’ energy usage patterns, combined with behavioral science techniques to motivate action. Each report provides an analysis of individual monthly energy use as compared to similar households within the same geographic location, while recommending specific energy efficiency tips for every customer based on their household characteristics.
Opower said that, in addition to deploying its Home Energy Reporting platform, Xcel Energy is relying on Opower’s Insight Engine, a customer segmentation and usage analysis software module, to guide a simultaneous deployment of in-home devices at Xcel Energy providing an additional form of energy use feedback for select customers.
Both deployments are part of Xcel Energy’s energy efficiency pilot programme approved by the Minnesota Office of Energy Security and aimed at assessing the energy savings and cost effectiveness of various types of usage feedback over the next eighteen months. Xcel Energy will use the findings from this pilot to inform its long-term smart grid based customer engagement and energy efficiency strategy.
