TEP hails behavior change as untapped energy-efficiency resource
October 7, 2013 | By
Barbara Vergetis Lundin
Although Tucson Electric Power's (TEP) Power Partners pilot project is not yet complete, preliminary findings have shown increased customer satisfaction and consumer engagement, as well as improved energy efficiency as a result of the program's personalized energy-efficiency suggestions, goal setting and performance tracking tools, and expert advice. The energy-efficiency pilot program, which is scheduled to conclude in November 2013, was designed to empower participants with near real-time energy data to better manage their home energy use. Energy consumption data is transmitted from customer meters every 15 minutes or less and analyzed using a behavioral science engine, sophisticated analytics and building models. Since the beginning of the program in August 2012, 94 percent of respondents report having experienced high value in tracking and monitoring their energy use and the resulting recommendations for energy saving actions to reduce energy use specific to the customer's individual usage. Further, 77 percent of participants have taken some action, whether behavioral or some form of investment. For example, 53 percent of users have made low-cost investments like replacing light bulbs or having their air conditioning unit serviced. The program is funded through a Department of Energy Smart Grid Data Access Award to encourage utilities, local governments and communities to create programs that empower consumers to better manage their electricity use through improved access to information on how energy is being used in their homes. The program follows on the heels of a demand response load control program, which began in 2010 and concluded successfully in October 2012. Both programs were designed to help TEP comply with Arizona's Energy Efficiency Standards, which require electric utilities to increase the energy savings realized through energy-efficiency programs each year until the cumulative reduction reaches 22 percent by 2020. The Power Partners Project included 700 customers who participated in the earlier initiative, plus 1,000 additional customers from the Tucson area. "Behavioral energy efficiency is a significant and largely untapped resource that can help our customers to use less energy and save on their monthly electric bills," said Eric Shoberg, TEP's Senior Program Manager for the Power Partners Project. For more:
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