A new application from Opower, Facebook, and NRDC lets users manage home energy consumption on a Facebook dashboard, comparing their usage with friends, with the end goal being to save energy.
Opower, Facebook, and the Natural Resources Defense Council joined with 16 utilities to launch the social energy app, with an initial reach of 20 million households. “Leveraging the Facebook platform, the app allows people to quickly and easily start benchmarking their home’s energy usage against similar homes, compare energy use with friends, enter energy-saving competitions, and share tips on how to become more energy efficient,” according to Opower’s press release.
How does it work? To use the app, you log in with your Facebook account. Once you do that, you will see a dashboard that tracks your energy usage through whichever particular utility. From that point, you can share your usage online through Facebook, the world’s largest social network (you might have heard of it).
The creators of the Opower app say it will spark a global conversation on energy conservation since so many people are connected through Facebook. “The application’s use of this kind of behavioral science combined with energy information, and Facebook’s global platform for connecting and sharing has the potential to create a dialogue and action about energy efficiency among hundreds of millions of people.”
Currently the participating utilities are:
- Austin Utilities (Minnesota)
- Burbank Water & Power
- ComEd
- Connexus Energy (Minnesota)
- Consumers Energy
- Glendale Water & Power
- Loveland Water and Power
- National Grid
- Owatonna Public Utilities (Minnesota)
- Pacific Gas and Electric Company
- City of Palo Alto Utilities
- PPL Electric Utilities Corp.
- Rochester Public Utilities (Minnesota)
- Utilities District of Western Indiana REMC
The company plans to sign up more utilities as the application grows in popularity.
Opower has had a track record of helping consumers cut back on their energy usage. Using behavioral analytics, it created a program where it mailed consumers happy faces or sad faces based on how much energy they were using in comparison with their peers. They found that those who participated in the program ended up using 2 percent less energy. With the power and reach of Facebook, the company thinks it can do more.
“If every household in the U.S. cut back on energy use by a mere 1%, that alone would cut more than $1.6 billion off of Americans’ annual energy bills. That’s the same as taking more than 1.2 million homes off-the-grid all together,” said Brandi Colander, NRDC Attorney, Energy and Transportation Group, in the press release. “This important tool will enhance energy literacy, making our daily energy choices more transparent and empowering people to make smarter, more economical decisions.”
Click here to try out the new Opower app >>
Original All Pro article written on April 3, 2012 by Chilton Tippin.
