Information Builders Case Studies Manitoba Hydro Powers Energy Forecasting With Self-Service Analytics

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	Manitoba Hydro Powers Energy Forecasting With Self-Service Analytics Information Builders

Manitoba Hydro Powers Energy Forecasting With Self-Service Analytics

Information Builders

Technology Category	Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Visualization
Applicable Industries	Utilities
Applicable Functions	Business Operation
Use Cases	Energy Management System Predictive Maintenance
Services	Data Science Services Software Design & Engineering Services
Challenge	Manitoba Hydro, a major electric power and natural gas utility in Manitoba, Canada, needed to provide extensive customer energy usage data in an interactive, visual format to assist with forecasting energy requirements. The steady increases in energy consumption due to a growing population in the province motivated the utility to acquire analytics tools so analysts could improve the accuracy of their energy forecasts. The forecasting is fundamental to many major activities at the company and it is the starting point for the corporation’s long-term decision-making. Having the data needed in an understandable, highly accessible format was essential. Read More
About Customer	Manitoba Hydro is the major electric power and natural gas utility in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is one of the largest energy utilities in the country, operating 15 interconnected generating stations and serving more than 561,000 customers. Thanks in part to its accurate forecasting capabilities, Manitoba Hydro is one of the lowest-cost providers of electricity in Canada. The company's mission is to provide a continuing supply of energy to meet the needs of the province and to promote economy and efficiency in energy development, generation, transmission, distribution, supply, and usage. Read More
Solution	Manitoba Hydro deployed a self-service analytics environment that presents customer usage data in an interactive format to assist with the company’s forecasting activities. WebFOCUS, Information Builders’ business intelligence (BI) and analytics platform, allows business users to retrieve, analyze, and visualize information with minimal assistance from the IT department, boosting productivity and minimizing the time spent by the IT department fulfilling reporting requirements. Staff members can view customers in certain geographies and drill into the digital displays, such as zooming in on an area to identify a group of homes with similar characteristics. Manitoba Hydro also uses WebFOCUS to help support its electricity and natural gas Power Smart initiatives. Through a variety of Demand Side Management (DSM) programs offered under the Power Smart brand, the utility helps customers reduce their overall electricity and natural gas consumption and lower their overall energy bills. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics

Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Visualization

Applicable Industries

Utilities

Applicable Functions

Business Operation

Use Cases

Energy Management System

Predictive Maintenance

Services

Data Science Services

Software Design & Engineering Services

Challenge

Manitoba Hydro, a major electric power and natural gas utility in Manitoba, Canada, needed to provide extensive customer energy usage data in an interactive, visual format to assist with forecasting energy requirements. The steady increases in energy consumption due to a growing population in the province motivated the utility to acquire analytics tools so analysts could improve the accuracy of their energy forecasts. The forecasting is fundamental to many major activities at the company and it is the starting point for the corporation’s long-term decision-making. Having the data needed in an understandable, highly accessible format was essential.

About Customer

Manitoba Hydro is the major electric power and natural gas utility in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is one of the largest energy utilities in the country, operating 15 interconnected generating stations and serving more than 561,000 customers. Thanks in part to its accurate forecasting capabilities, Manitoba Hydro is one of the lowest-cost providers of electricity in Canada. The company's mission is to provide a continuing supply of energy to meet the needs of the province and to promote economy and efficiency in energy development, generation, transmission, distribution, supply, and usage.

Solution

Manitoba Hydro deployed a self-service analytics environment that presents customer usage data in an interactive format to assist with the company’s forecasting activities. WebFOCUS, Information Builders’ business intelligence (BI) and analytics platform, allows business users to retrieve, analyze, and visualize information with minimal assistance from the IT department, boosting productivity and minimizing the time spent by the IT department fulfilling reporting requirements. Staff members can view customers in certain geographies and drill into the digital displays, such as zooming in on an area to identify a group of homes with similar characteristics. Manitoba Hydro also uses WebFOCUS to help support its electricity and natural gas Power Smart initiatives. Through a variety of Demand Side Management (DSM) programs offered under the Power Smart brand, the utility helps customers reduce their overall electricity and natural gas consumption and lower their overall energy bills.

Impact #1	Business users retrieve, analyze, and visualize information with minimal assistance from the IT department, leading to more efficient energy usage throughout the province.
Impact #2	Staff members can view customers in certain geographies and drill into the digital displays, such as zooming in on an area to identify a group of homes with similar characteristics.
Impact #3	Manitoba Hydro employees use WebFOCUS to review energy usage trends among customers who participate in the Power Smart program.

Impact #1

Business users retrieve, analyze, and visualize information with minimal assistance from the IT department, leading to more efficient energy usage throughout the province.

Impact #2

Staff members can view customers in certain geographies and drill into the digital displays, such as zooming in on an area to identify a group of homes with similar characteristics.

Impact #3

Manitoba Hydro employees use WebFOCUS to review energy usage trends among customers who participate in the Power Smart program.

Benefit #1	Overall increases in energy consumption by 1.2 percent per year over the past 10 years.
Benefit #2	More than 120 Manitoba Hydro employees use WebFOCUS to track how customers use energy.

Benefit #1

Overall increases in energy consumption by 1.2 percent per year over the past 10 years.

Benefit #2

More than 120 Manitoba Hydro employees use WebFOCUS to track how customers use energy.

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Overview

Manitoba Hydro Powers Energy Forecasting With Self-Service Analytics

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit