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Utility On-Bill Financing: A Profile
May 13, 2013
E Source reviewed 38 on-bill financing packages offered by 30 separate program administrators to benchmark how they’re most commonly structured to balance competing goals.
Content type: Focus Report | Document ID: EDRP-F-47 | Author: Kate Drexler
NEW!
Generating Revenue and Improving Customer Satisfaction with C&I Products and Services
May 9, 2013
Changes in policies, technologies, and customer preferences are emphasizing the need for utilities to rethink their business model and develop (or dust off and redeploy) other products and services that can provide reliable income streams.
Content type: Focus Report | Document ID: BMS-F-1 | Author: Dulcey Simpkins
UPDATED!
Plugging the Plug Load Data Hole
November 5, 2012 | Updated: May 8, 2013
Plug loads are huge energy hogs, but it’s often difficult to find comprehensive and reliable data on how different plugs loads use energy. To solve this problem, we’ve compiled hundreds of results from a wide range of plug load reports into a single spreadsheet.
Content type: Data Resource | Document ID: TAS-DR-1 | Author: Essie Snell
NEW!
Pay-for-Performance Program Incentive Structures
May 3, 2013
Pay-for-performance programs provide incentives for whole-building energy efficiency in new construction and major retrofits, and they often include incentives for design assistance. The main difference is that incentives for new construction are paid based on modeled versus measured savings.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: EDRP-RB-54 | Author: Alexandra Behringer
UPDATED!
Can Smart Thermostats Rise from the Ashes of Their Programmable Predecessors?
September 26, 2012 | Updated: April 29, 2013
The latest wave of thermostats are designed to deliver everything traditional programmable thermostats couldn’t. With powerful communications capabilities and on-board smarts, these smart thermostats can offer much more to both utilities and consumers.
Content type: Focus Report | Document ID: TAS-F-2 | Author: Lee Hamilton
NEW!
Quality Control Inspection Protocols
April 29, 2013
Having sound quality control (QC) mechanisms in place is critical for utilities that want to engender customers’ trust in their efficiency programs. In this report, we provide a snapshot of 10 utilities’ QC inspection protocols for residential retrofit programs.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: EDRP-RB-55 | Author: Kate Drexler
NEW!
Smart Thermostat Pilots and Programs
April 22, 2013
The latest round of smart thermostats has emerged onto the scene, with promises to provide energy savings for utilities and consumers and to enable smarter demand response. In just a few short years, more than 15 utilities are offering smart thermostat programs or are piloting programs.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: EDRP-RB-52 | Author: Rachel Reiss Buckley
Why Utilities Are Tending the Community Solar Garden
April 18, 2013
What do you get when you install solar panels on a locally sited facility or in a public area and let people buy "shares" in the system? Evidently you get a lot of green thumbs! This is precisely how community solar works, and its sprouting up all across North America.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: EDRP-RB-50 | Author: Andrea Salazar
UPDATED!
Evaluating TVSS Energy-Saving Claims
May 1, 2004 | Updated: April 17, 2013
Transient voltage surge suppressors are intended to protect connected equipment from voltage surges, but some manufacturers and vendors are still promoting the long-discredited claims that these devices save energy.
Content type: Focus Report | Document ID: TAS-F-5 | Author: Dan Greenberg, Essie Snell
One-Page Marketing Plan
Nine Simple Steps to Writing a Powerful, Customer-Oriented, Actionable Plan
April 17, 2013
We often receive questions about developing a utility marketing plan, so we’ve updated our nine-step process for creating a simple one-page template to help guide you in creating a customer-oriented, actionable plan for all your marketing campaigns.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: RES-RB-26 | Author: Beth Hartman, Matthew Joyce
Warehouses
April 16, 2013
Warehouses, both refrigerated and nonrefrigerated present opportunities to save energy in a range of areas, including lighting, HVAC, and materials-handling equipment.
Content type: Sector Snapshot | Document ID: BAM-S-15 | Author: Ira Krepchin
UPDATED!
Plug-In Electric Vehicles
September 25, 2009 | Updated: April 15, 2013
Commercial sale of production-line plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) commenced in 2009 and will increase steadily in the coming years. This resource guide covers PHEV performance, benefits, and limitations, and discusses the potential challenges they pose for electric utilities.
Content type: Resource Guide | Document ID: TAS-RG-20 | Author: Dan Greenberg, Bryan Jungers
Ain’t Misbehavin’: Residential Behavior-Change Vendors and Associated Energy Savings
April 10, 2013
Our meta-analysis of behavior-change vendors, products, and program results will help you navigate the residential landscape.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: EDRP-RB-51 | Author: Melanie Wemple, Dulcey Simpkins
UPDATED!
2011 DSM Achievements and Expenditures
December 14, 2012 | Updated: April 9, 2013
To find out how energy-efficiency and demand-response programs performed in 2011, E Source compiled the demand-side management (DSM) goals and achievements of 40 US and Canadian utilities into a downloadable Microsoft Excel workbook.
Content type: Focus Report | Document ID: EDRP-F-42 | Author: Melanie Wemple
Building Energy Analytics Tools: What’s the Latest?
April 4, 2013
What are the capabilities and limitations of building energy analytics tools? Do they save energy? Are they cost-effective? Do they drive down the costs of energy assessments? What are some of the data gathering and metering best practices used with these tools?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: EMN-AskES-18 | Author: Andrea Salazar
UPDATED!
Changes in Residential Lighting Programs
What Happened in 2012, and What We Can Expect in the Near Term
December 24, 2012 | Updated: March 29, 2013
Lighting programs are in flux thanks to new technologies and evolving efficiency standards. The EISA phaseout of general-service incandescents is underway, and new lighting options are emerging. What are utilities and efficiency organizations doing now and planning for in the near future?
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: EDRP-RB-43 | Author: Alexandra Behringer
Grains, Veggies, and Fruits, Oh My!
June 28, 2010 | Updated: March 28, 2013
Crop production covers a wide range of products, including grains, fruits, vegetables, flowers, nuts, and a host of others. Energy-saving opportunities exist in the areas of irrigation, crop drying, and basic farm practices.
Content type: Sector Snapshot | Document ID: BAM-S-9 | Author: Ira Krepchin
Are You Wasting Money on Marketing? Part III
Outside Industries and Future Opportunities
March 26, 2013
There are several innovative marketing strategies from outside industries that utilities could apply to their own campaigns to more effectively calculate return on marketing investment (ROMI). Also, utilities are uniquely positioned to build higher ROMIs by leveraging smart grid data.
Content type: Focus Report | Document ID: RES-F-51 | Author: Beth Hartman
Are You Wasting Money on Marketing? Part II
Current Utility ROI Measurement Solutions
March 26, 2013
Although marketing measurement solutions in use among utilities vary widely, overall, those that make an effort to evaluate results are able to generate a higher return on investment. Using tools such as Google Analytics, Salesforce, and Excel, utilities can improve marketing results.
Content type: Focus Report | Document ID: RES-F-50 | Author: Beth Hartman
UPDATED!
Repository of Publicly Available Technical Reference Manuals
January 3, 2012 | Updated: March 22, 2013
Where can I find a repository of demand-side management (DSM) deemed savings values or other measure-specific assumptions? Is there a national database with this information?
Content type: Ask E Source | Document ID: EDRP-AskES-45 | Author: Todd Camnitz, Andrea Salazar
Carrotmob in Boulder County, Colorado
Forget the Stick—Use the Carrot to Spark Energy-Efficiency Action
March 18, 2013
In Boulder, Colorado, the county's EnergySmart program and students in the Colorado Public Interest Group at the University of Colorado worked together to launch a Carrotmob event in the Colorado town to raise awareness about and encourage participation in the program.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: RES-RB-25 | Author: Katie Ruiz
TopTen USA: New Tool Rates Product Efficiency and Engages Utility Customers
March 18, 2013
TopTen USA is an easy-to-use online tool that rates the most energy-efficient products in various consumer categories. Utilities that host TopTen on their websites can accrue the highest energy savings per individual consumer product and offer their customers a convenient shopping experience.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: TAS-RB-68 | Author: Mary Horsey
To Have or Have Not? A Review of Wireless Meter Opt-Out Policies
March 22, 2012 | Updated: March 7, 2013
Consumers are demanding alternatives to wireless meters, and state regulatory commissions and energy providers are issuing opt-out policies. It's likely that any utility deploying wireless meters will need an opt-out policy regardless of the size of the population projected to object to the meters.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: IGS-RB-14 | Author: Melanie Wemple
The Set-Top Box Energy Soap Opera
Telecom Industry Strives to Improve with Energy Star
March 6, 2013
A recent agreement between 15 major pay-TV providers and consumer electronics manufacturers promises to help make energy-guzzling set-top boxes a little more efficient, but leaves some big savings opportunities on the table.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: TAS-RB-65 | Author: Essie Snell
Feeding Your Program Good LED Products
DLC to Launch New Database Format
March 4, 2013
A new database format for the DesignLights Consortium’s Qualified Products List will make it easier for utilities to incorporate light-emitting diode (LED) products into their programs.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: TAS-RB-66 | Author: Ira Krepchin
Help Me Make My Windows More Efficient!
February 28, 2013
There are a wide range of approaches to making windows more efficient, and it can be difficult to know which is best for a given situation. To provide some guidance, we've created a handy decision tree to quickly point you in the right direction.
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: TAS-RB-67 | Author: Essie Snell
Plastic and Rubber Products Manufacturing
March 29, 2010 | Updated: February 22, 2013
The Plastic and Rubber Products Manufacturing industry covers various types of goods produced by processing plastic materials and raw rubber.
Content type: Sector Snapshot | Document ID: BAM-S-6 | Author: Ira Krepchin
Residential Retrofit Programs: Providing Contractors with Performance Feedback
February 21, 2013
Most utilities and program implementers rely on a network of local contractors to implement their residential retrofit or home performance programs. But how do such programs create an effective feedback loop to ensure that their contractors are doing the best job possible?
Content type: Research Brief | Document ID: EDRP-RB-46 | Author: Alexandra Behringer
Reinventing the Utility Brand Experience: Starbucks or Just Plain Coffee?
February 21, 2013
Utilities are in danger of losing brand value as other industries become more important in peoples’ lives. But by following the path of successful brands both inside and outside the industry, utilities can revitalize their brand for the emerging market.
Content type: Focus Report | Document ID: ECM-F-3 | Author: Bill LeBlanc
E Source Energy Management Survey 2012
Energy Dashboards, Behavior Change, and Telling a Compelling (Energy) Story
February 19, 2013
Each year, E Source surveys top corporate energy managers from Fortune 500 companies in a variety of industries. This report identifies trends in energy management, including top initiatives and what energy managers want from their utility account managers.
Content type: Focus Report | Document ID: EMN-F-1 | Author: Andrea Salazar
