Uplight Case Studies Shining a Light on New Rate Plans for Residential and Business Customers

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	Shining a Light on New Rate Plans for Residential and Business Customers Uplight

Shining a Light on New Rate Plans for Residential and Business Customers

Uplight

Technology Category	Analytics & Modeling - Machine Learning Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems
Applicable Industries	Utilities
Applicable Functions	Business Operation
Use Cases	Energy Management System Predictive Maintenance
Services	Software Design & Engineering Services System Integration
Challenge	Implementing new rate plans to align demand with supply is becoming critical to more and more utilities. However, new rate plans for business and residential customers can result in customer confusion and frustration—whether they are opt-in or opt-out. According to J.D. Power, utility customer price satisfaction drops by 10% when defaulted onto a TOU rate. A TOU rate transition can be stressful for both utility employees and customers. It can seem that customer needs are at odds with regulatory and internal requirements. Thankfully, utilities have gained experience helping customers through rate transitions. This experience identified best practices of the three e’s: empathize, educate, and empower. Read More
About Customer	Uplight is the technology partner for energy providers and the clean energy ecosystem. Uplight’s software solutions connect energy customers to the decarbonization goals of power providers while helping customers save energy and lower costs, creating a more sustainable future for all. Using the industry’s only comprehensive customer-centric technology suite and critical energy expertise across disciplines, Uplight is streamlining the complex transition to the clean energy ecosystem for more than 80 electric and gas utilities around the world. By empowering energy providers to achieve critical outcomes through data-driven customer experiences, delivering control at the grid edge, creating new revenue streams and optimizing existing load and assets, Uplight shares a mission with its clients to make energy more sustainable for every community. Uplight is a certified B Corporation. Read More
Solution	Uplight helps utilities prevent rocky rate roll-outs and become a trusted energy advisor through a personalized utility customer experience, targeted marketing and grid-optimized enrollment. The utility uses Uplight’s platform to help advise and enroll their SMBs and C&I customers on the most optimal rate plans. The utility integrated Uplight’s rate analysis tool into their MyAccount portal to help over 600,000 business customers analyze how hypothetical changes to usage would impact their rate and compare their current rate plan with other options. A large Southwestern IOU transitioned its residential customers to new TOU and demand rates with a goal of getting customers on to service plans that best fit their needs, reducing associated call center volume spike and improving CSAT. They not only needed to educate customers about their new plans, but also how to best manage their energy bill. Using AMI interval data, historical usage information and machine-learning methodologies, the utility utilized Uplight’s platform to segment their customers by service plans, analyze on- and off-peak usage and demand patterns. The utility then delivered next-best-actions tailored to each customer through personalized print and email energy reports, self-service online portal, energy assessment, and through the call center. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Analytics & Modeling - Machine Learning

Analytics & Modeling - Predictive Analytics

Functional Applications - Remote Monitoring & Control Systems

Applicable Industries

Utilities

Applicable Functions

Business Operation

Use Cases

Energy Management System

Predictive Maintenance

Services

Software Design & Engineering Services

System Integration

Challenge

Implementing new rate plans to align demand with supply is becoming critical to more and more utilities. However, new rate plans for business and residential customers can result in customer confusion and frustration—whether they are opt-in or opt-out. According to J.D. Power, utility customer price satisfaction drops by 10% when defaulted onto a TOU rate. A TOU rate transition can be stressful for both utility employees and customers. It can seem that customer needs are at odds with regulatory and internal requirements. Thankfully, utilities have gained experience helping customers through rate transitions. This experience identified best practices of the three e’s: empathize, educate, and empower.

About Customer

Uplight is the technology partner for energy providers and the clean energy ecosystem. Uplight’s software solutions connect energy customers to the decarbonization goals of power providers while helping customers save energy and lower costs, creating a more sustainable future for all. Using the industry’s only comprehensive customer-centric technology suite and critical energy expertise across disciplines, Uplight is streamlining the complex transition to the clean energy ecosystem for more than 80 electric and gas utilities around the world. By empowering energy providers to achieve critical outcomes through data-driven customer experiences, delivering control at the grid edge, creating new revenue streams and optimizing existing load and assets, Uplight shares a mission with its clients to make energy more sustainable for every community. Uplight is a certified B Corporation.

Solution

Uplight helps utilities prevent rocky rate roll-outs and become a trusted energy advisor through a personalized utility customer experience, targeted marketing and grid-optimized enrollment. The utility uses Uplight’s platform to help advise and enroll their SMBs and C&I customers on the most optimal rate plans. The utility integrated Uplight’s rate analysis tool into their MyAccount portal to help over 600,000 business customers analyze how hypothetical changes to usage would impact their rate and compare their current rate plan with other options. A large Southwestern IOU transitioned its residential customers to new TOU and demand rates with a goal of getting customers on to service plans that best fit their needs, reducing associated call center volume spike and improving CSAT. They not only needed to educate customers about their new plans, but also how to best manage their energy bill. Using AMI interval data, historical usage information and machine-learning methodologies, the utility utilized Uplight’s platform to segment their customers by service plans, analyze on- and off-peak usage and demand patterns. The utility then delivered next-best-actions tailored to each customer through personalized print and email energy reports, self-service online portal, energy assessment, and through the call center.

Impact #1	Uplight’s platform enabled utilities to provide personalized recommendations to customers, helping them understand and manage their energy usage more effectively.
Impact #2	The solution supported 200 CSRs and over a million utility customers with more than 30 personalized next-best-actions.
Impact #3	Utilities were able to deliver proactive, personalized recommendations through various channels, empowering customers to take control of their energy usage and save money.

Impact #1

Uplight’s platform enabled utilities to provide personalized recommendations to customers, helping them understand and manage their energy usage more effectively.

Impact #2

The solution supported 200 CSRs and over a million utility customers with more than 30 personalized next-best-actions.

Impact #3

Utilities were able to deliver proactive, personalized recommendations through various channels, empowering customers to take control of their energy usage and save money.

Benefit #1	The utility integrated Uplight’s rate analysis tool into their MyAccount portal to help over 600,000 business customers.
Benefit #2	In just under 10 weeks, the solution was deployed from initiative to launch.
Benefit #3	Phase 1 of the program included over half a million customers, and Phase 2 will expand to over 3.1 million customers.

Benefit #1

The utility integrated Uplight’s rate analysis tool into their MyAccount portal to help over 600,000 business customers.

Benefit #2

In just under 10 weeks, the solution was deployed from initiative to launch.

Benefit #3

Phase 1 of the program included over half a million customers, and Phase 2 will expand to over 3.1 million customers.

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Overview

Shining a Light on New Rate Plans for Residential and Business Customers

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit