Utilities Rely on Oracle to Reduce Peak Energy Demand During Extreme Weather
Millions of customers participated in Opower Peak Management programs last summer to maintain grid reliability and reduce their energy bills
Personalized, post-weather event communications saw a 53% open rate on average
"With some of the most ambitious decarbonization goals in the world, SMUD continually looks for new ways to engage customers in programs that help them save money and protect the planet," said
Utilities around the
Last summer, Opower Behavioral Demand Response programs were run in the California ISO,
Customers received educational emails about impending seasonal changes and tips on how to save energy. Personalized, post-event feedback has proven to be critical to the success of behavioral demand response programs as evidenced by the fact that those communications, were opened at an average of 53% - which is 2.5X the industry average. And in the case of
"With extreme weather events increasing, reducing peak as part of demand flexibility initiatives is more important than ever. There is so much unrealized potential in residential demand response, but it has historically struggled to gain traction because of low enrollment rates," said
"Behavioral demand reduces this barrier by making it easy for customers to participate - driving energy awareness and giving people a sense of accomplishment in a highly cost-effective and scalable way."
Opower Behavioral Demand Response solutions, some of which use incentives in addition to behavioral nudges, encourage utility customers to reduce their load on peak event days. They consist of pre-season communications that prepare people to be a part of the program, pre-event notifications that alert them of an impending event and ask them to reduce their energy use, and post-event communications that celebrate their performance. These programs are also unique in that they seek to gamify the experience of shifting energy usage. As part of the post-event notifications, customers are rewarded for their contributions with badges they can share over social media, highlighting how much they saved.
Behavioral Demand Response makes customers a crucial part of shifting demand. This is important because a recent study from
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SOURCE Oracle