Ecova Launches Home Energy Product For Utility Clients

Posted by Tom Ranken | No Comments | Categories: Company News, Complete Digest

Source: Ecova press release, February 7, 2012.  Northwest Innovation News, February 8, 2012.

Ecova—a total energy and sustainability management company—today announced an alliance with Aclara—a leader in innovative consumer engagement portals, utility data management, and intelligent infrastructure – to launch the Home Energy Plan. At their choosing, a consumer can sign up to review their historical energy consumption and other home data to identify savings areas through the Home Energy Plan. This creates a new way for utilities to drive long-term consumer engagement and energy savings that encompass the customer’s entire home.

The Home Energy Plan uses software to create My Energy Insights, a home energy report with real energy usage data and personalized efficiency tips for each consumer’s household. These detailed and easy-to-understand reports are then used during a voluntary in-home consultation with an energy expert who can install basic energy savings measures, providing maximum efficiency for the utility and the customer.

“This program is a step towards a future where utilities and consumers engage in an ongoing dialogue to reduce energy use—and it is being implemented right now,” said Jon Thomsen, president, Utility Division, Ecova. “Engaging consumers in energy efficiency programs is not unique, but the use of comprehensive and comparative energy use data to inform a home visit, and a robust follow-up campaign that provides pertinent recommendations is. The Home Energy Plan builds on our deep expertise helping utilities market energy efficiency to consumers and takes our current in-home energy efficiency programs to the next level.”

Ecova’s utility programs are designed to provide utility clients with more insight, more consumer engagement and more cost-effective energy savings. On-site visits by utility representatives are necessary to capture the best energy savings, but they can be expensive. The Home Energy Plan is designed to help the utility make the most out of each visit by doing more homework upfront and continuing the energy discussion with follow-up communication, creating a true partnership with the consumer. This enables a utility’s consumers to have a better understanding of their energy use and capture more savings. By leveraging usage data, consumer preferences and marketing knowledge, it ensures the utility can offer an individualized plan that will both lower energy use and build consumer satisfaction.

How it works:  Working with the utility company, Ecova and Aclara pull a consumer’s energy usage data based on utility records. With this data, the companies use proprietary algorithms to create detailed energy use profiles and reports. The My Energy Insights reports highlight a consumer’s energy use for the household during the last year, the customer’s energy use compared to similar neighbors, as well as showcase the biggest energy end uses.

Ecova then works directly with program participants to lower energy use:

• Each participant in a direct installation program or recipient of an efficiency kit receives a report that gives an overview of their energy use.
• When a field representative visits the home, they review the report with the consumer, install efficiency measures, conduct an on-site energy assessment and explain the savings from the products installed and potential future saving.
• Ecova then uses the information gathered before and during the visit to conduct follow-up recommendations for additional efficiency programs and savings, and gathers participant’s contact information to open up communication channels.
• Ecova can also take actual data from the home audit and upload it to Aclara’s online tools, leveraging real data to ensure an accuracy level previously unseen and help drive utility online services

Success in the Midwest:  The new initiative builds on an award-winning pilot program Ecova’s joint venture company, Solutions for Energy Efficiency Logistics (SEEL), ran with a large Mid-Western utility in 2011. After SEEL proved that the concept worked, Ecova broadened the program to provide the insights from a My Energy Insights report and additional marketing. SEEL is now targeting 30,000 of the utility’s customers each year, who will receive an in-home consultation to review the report and assessment. Each customer will then receive follow-up communication to help drive additional participation in residential programs, utilizing Ecova’s nationally recognized marketing team to develop best practice campaigns.

About Ecova:  Ecova is thetotal energy and sustainability management company whose sole purpose is to see more, save more, and sustain more for its clients. Using insights based on consumption, cost and carbon footprint data spanning thousands of utilities, hundreds of thousands of business sites and millions of households, Ecova provides fully managed, technology-optimized solutions for saving resources, which in turn increase returns, lower risks, and enhance reputations. Ecova is the largest non-regulated subsidiary of Avista Corp (NYSE: AVA and avistacorp.com). For more information, visit the company’s website at ecova.com, on LinkedIn at linkd.in/ecovainc, or follow Ecova on Twitter at @ecovainc.

About Aclara:  Aclara® represents the industry’s leading Intelligent Infrastructure technologies for providing device networking, data-value management, and customer communications to water, gas, and electric utilities globally. Over 500 utilities in nine countries rely on proven Aclara solutions to connect with their customers. Aclara Technologies LLC is part of the Utility Solutions Group of ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE: ESE), St. Louis. Create Your Intelligent Infrastructure™ www.Aclara.com.

About SEEL:  Solutions for Energy Efficient Logistics (SEEL) is a minority business enterprise joint venture between Motor City International and Ecova. SEEL provides energy and sustainability management solutions through a variety of utility programs that deliver value to the utility’s customers. SEEL can manage all aspects of program design, implementation and management, consumer-focused marketing and customer engagement.

Itron Expands In Azerbaijan

Posted by Tom Ranken | No Comments | Categories: Company News, Complete Digest

Source: Itron, Press Release, January 31, 2012.

Itron announced it will provide more than 400,000 gas smart payment meters to SOCAR “Azeri Gas” Production Union (PU), a part of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR). The new meter deployment follows a previous project that included installing 250,000 smart payment meters in the capital city of Baku. This marks the start of the second phase of the project, which will cover the remainder of the country. The roll-out plan gives Azerbaijan Republic the opportunity to capitalize on the benefits of smart payment technology throughout the entire country.

Meter deployment is underway and will be completed in February 2013. With Itron’s smart payment meters rolling out across Azerbaijan, consumers will benefit from the convenience of recharging their payment cards at several points of sales located throughout the country, including self-service terminals. With increased availability and simple access, consumers will be better equipped to effectively manage their gas consumption.“We constantly strive to streamline our operations and offer the best service to our customers. Itron’s technology helps us achieve both goals,” said Mr. Akbar Hajiyev, managing director, SOCAR “Azerigas” PU. “Selecting Itron for our phase-two deployment was based on the success of our phase-one project. After rolling out 250,000 meters in 2010, we know that Itron’s solution can scale up to meet our needs nationwide.”

“We are dedicated to continuing our long-term partnership with SOCAR “Azeri Gas” PU,” said Muness Charara, Itron regional manager, Middle East Energy. “We’ve delivered gas smart payment meters to Azerbaijan since early 2010, and we believe the service and support we’ve provided will now help us build a strong gas smart payment metering platform in the Caspian region of Central Asia.”

About Itron:  Itron is the leading provider of energy and water resource management solutions for nearly 8,000 utilities around the world. We offer end-to-end solutions that include electricity, gas, water and heat measurement and control technology; communications systems; software; and professional services. With nearly 9,000 employees doing business in more than 130 countries, Itron empowers utilities to responsibly and efficiently manage energy and water resources. To realize a sustainable future, start here: www.itron.com.

About SOCAR: The State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) is involved in exploring oil and gas fields, producing, processing, and transporting oil, gas, and gas condensate, marketing petroleum and petrochemical products in domestic and international markets, and supplying natural gas to industry and the public in Azerbaijan. Three production divisions, two oil refineries and one gas processing plant, an oil tanker fleet, a deep water platform fabrication yard, two trusts, one institution, and 22 subdivisions are operating as corporate entities under SOCAR. Joint ventures (including ventures in Georgia and Turkey), consortia, and operating companies established with SOCAR’s participation, are doing business in different parts of the petroleum industry. SOCAR has representative offices in Georgia, Turkey, Romania, Austria, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Great Britain, Germany and Ukraine and trading companies in Switzerland, Singapore, UAE and other countries.

SOCAR “Azerigaz” Production Union transmits, distributes, and markets natural gas in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The syndicate also transports SOCAR gas to the Islamic Republic of Iran, Georgia, and the Russian Federation.

GreenSimian SolMate Charges iPhone With Solar Power

Posted by Tom Ranken | No Comments | Categories: Company News, Complete Digest