Rocky Mountain Power officials say they were looking to modernize their customer service offerings by switching away from "conventional" solutions. "We were searching for the next wave of customer engagement and a way to drive customers toward a digital, two-way dialogue with us," Clay Monroe, director of customer relations for Rocky Mountain Power, said in a statement. Utility interest in data and service goes beyond customer satisfaction — behind the scenes, the new wave of solutions can be used to better market rates, services and programs, and potentially be utilized as a grid planning tool. For instance, Bidgely recently partnered with EnergyHub, integrating its home energy management platform with EnergyHub's distributed energy resource management system. And energy management competitor Oracle has made improvements to its customer information systems as well, offering utilities the capabilities to improve operations and offerings with personalized customer insights, guided by behavioral science research led by Opower, which Oracle acquired in 2016. Bidgely's AI reports allowed RMI "to quickly shift from conventional methods of reporting, using general peer comparisons, to true energy empowerment with itemized energy bills and personalized savings tips, while at the same time moving customers to digital reports," said Monroe. Bidgely helped the utility replace its existing HER program in 2018. Approximately 330,000 customers across Utah, Idaho and Wyoming received itemized energy reports for the first time, the company said. More than half were moved to digital reports, and all of the utility's 1 million residential customers were given web dashboard access. "This helped the utility reduce program costs by nearly 25% and drive digital engagement where customers experience a more robust, personalized offering to help them save energy," according to Bidgely, adding email open rates reached 38%.
US utility Rocky Mountain Power has reduced programme costs by almost 25%, saving 41 GWh, less than 12 months after adopting Bidgely's AI-driven home energy reports. The company said it had saved $US1 billion in the past five years and was now looking to reduce its carbon emissions by another 20 per cent over that period.