{"id":2039,"date":"2013-06-07T16:01:54","date_gmt":"2013-06-07T20:01:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gotometrix.com\/?p=2039"},"modified":"2021-09-09T23:23:47","modified_gmt":"2021-09-10T03:23:47","slug":"will-utilities-be-observers-in-their-own-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gotometrix.com\/?p=2039","title":{"rendered":"Will utilities be observers in their own game?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have an intimate relationship with my energy company.\u00a0 Well, I should, given that a hefty portion of my monthly household expenses are paid out to them. \u00a0I know they have tried to talk to me \u2013 suggesting that they want a relationship.\u00a0 They do send me a monthly bill with all sorts of great paper-based inserts that talk about their \u201cprograms\u201d to help me save energy \u2013 which shows concern.\u00a0 They are great at giving me advise about how to better reach them, or communicate with them.. They even sponsor some of the local events that I am passionate about to \u201cbe part of my community.\u201d\u00a0 Unfortunately, like most people, I either do not read or pay attention to much of what they have to say to me, because I generally don\u2019t think about them (as a consumer). \u00a0The previous statement is not be entirely true for me personally, but that’s because I do a lot of research in the industry so I think about them all the time from a \u201chow can I help them as a business\u201d perspective.<\/p>\n

As I talk to people in the industry, read the materials and attend discussions, a question has been nagging me for a while \u2013 Who is leading the <\/i>conversation in conservation<\/i>? By this I mean energy efficiency and usage.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"powercord1\"<\/a>By all accounts, utility companies should be leading the conversation about energy use and demand, and I am not convinced they are. \u00a0I have had discussions with people in several utility companies about this subject, and the fact is they are<\/strong> <\/em>concerned about energy efficiency and usage and making sure they craft the right programs for their customers\u2013in fact, according to a recent study from Berkely Lab<\/a>, they spend over $4.8 billion in customer-funded programs annually to raise awareness and provide energy efficiency programs (note: this spending is across the board, not just residential).\u00a0 \u00a0However, it appears more and more that they are becoming observers in their own game.\u00a0 I say that because when we asked people, more specifically residential customers, who they think should be responsible for providing solutions to help manage their energy usage \u2013 utility companies lead the pack by a significant margin.\u00a0 Basically, residential customers are saying that their utility company should be playing an active role in this process.\u00a0 However, when you ask these same people if their utility has provided them with sufficient information and resources to help them manage their use – only 45% of them indicate that they have<\/i><\/b>.\u00a0 This is a large gap considering these three important facts:<\/p>\n