meea technical webinar: beyond traditional programs – ee behavior change at commercial accounts

MEEA’s Technical Webinar

Series:

Beyond Traditional Programs - EE Behavior Change

at Commercial Accounts

Presenters:

Agentis Energy

John Lux & Mike Presutti

Thursday, September 20, 2012

MEEA’s Role in the Midwest

• Nonprofit serving 13 Midwest states

• 10+ years serving states, energy offices, utilities and communities

• Staff of 25 in Chicago

• Actions

– Designing & Administering Energy Efficiency Programs

– Evaluating & Promoting Emerging Technologies

– Regional Voice for DOE/EPA & ENERGY STAR

– Coordinating Utility Program Efforts

– Delivering Training & Workshops

– Advancing Energy Efficiency Policy

– Promoting Best Practices

The EE Story (Future)

• Future: Finding a new portfolio

– Lighting savings going down

– Some program saturation

– Need ‘new’ programs

• Whole home (HPwES, air sealing, etc)

• Systems work (HVAC systems, smart homes, etc)

• Behavior programs (changing the customer habit)

• Education

• Building Energy Codes (adoption, training and

compliance)

– Challenges

• Cost effectiveness (non-energy benefits not counted)

• More complex (contractors, systems, etc)

Questions & Discussion

• Please type your question into the question

box.

• This Webinar is being recorded, and the

slides will be posted to the MEEA website

early next week.

Beyond Traditional Programs:

EE Behavior Change at Commercial Accounts September 20, 2012

Proprietary and

Confidential

2

Mike Presutti is currently Director of Sales at Agentis

Energy. Prior to Agentis, Mike held management

positions at Littelfuse and Emerson Electric where he

worked extensively with both manufacturers of electrical

equipment and C&I end-users. Mike started his career

as an avionics technician in the USAF and has a BSEE

from the University of Washington.

John Lux is currently Director of Product and Business

Development at Agentis Energy. Prior to Agentis, John was

a founder and Development Associate at 8 Plus Ventures,

where he oversaw investments in early stage companies.

Previously, he was a research analyst at Ferrazzi Greenlight.

John graduated Magna Cum Laude from Loyola Marymount

University.

Mike Presutti, Director of Sales

[email protected]

(224) 595 2278

John Lux, Director of Product

& Business Development

[email protected]

(310) 650 8765

Presenter Introduction

Proprietary and

Confidential

3

Agenda

Our History & The Question – “What Should I Do?”

Commercial Accounts & Behavior Change

Behavior Change Methodology

Proprietary and Confidential

4

Commercial Opportunity (MEEA)

State

Commercial

MWh at IOUs

MWh Saved

at 2%

Illinois 52,000,000 1,040,000

Indiana 19,000,000 380,000

Iowa 9,000,000 180,000

Kansas 11,000,000 220,000

Kentucky 14,000,000 280,000

Michigan 34,000,000 680,000

Minnesota 16,000,000 320,000

Missouri 25,000,000 500,000

Ohio 43,000,000 860,000

South Dakota 3,000,000 60,000

Wisconsin 20,000,000 400,000

Total 246,000,000 4,920,000

• Commercial accounts at

MEEA IOUs account for

230,000,000 MWh

• Nebraska and North Dakota

were not included: no IOUs

• 2% savings across all

commercial accounts

represents a total opportunity

of 4,920,000 MWh

Source: EIA 2010 Proprietary and Confidential

4

• Provided important feedback

on what information end-users

want.

• “JUST TELL ME WHAT TO DO.”

• Launched: Summer 2009

Hardware & Software Direct to C&I

Platform 1.0: Utility Scale Visual Product

Platform 2.0: Analytic Rich Improved Outreach

EE Focus

• Data architecture designed

for big data and integrated

analytics.

• Engagement through

Web UI and email.


• Analytics and Benchmarking

integrated into platform.

• Enhanced outreach and

engagement.


5

Agentis Energy: History


Agentis Energy: Interviews

Proprietary and Confidential 6

General Information

5.7

7.1

5.8 Importance of Electricity Consumption

Use of and Comfort Level with Email

Use of and Comfort Level with Internet

0 0.5 1 1.5 2

Delivery Preference (0 = Letter, 2 = Email) 0.9

Note:

1. Figure indicates average and bars indicate 1 standard deviation

Intra-Office Communication


Verbal Email Postings

Yes No

Proprietary and

Confidential

8

Takeaways

• In General: Avoid Confusion, Keep It Simple

• Web UI:

• Frequent Users Aren’t That Frequent

• 5-10 Minutes Per Visit

• Situational Triggers Work

• Outbound Communication: Continuous yet customizable

• Recommendations: “Just Tell Me What To Do”

• Don’t Underestimate a Simple Reminder / Call to Action

• Recommendations Need Context


Vs.

Proprietary and

Confidential

9




Agenda


• April 2008: An avalanche downed transmission lines,

cutting off the city from cheap hydroelectric power.

• Electricity prices increased from $.11/kWh to $.50/kWh

“A five-fold increase in electricity prices provided the stimulus, but the

savings were accomplished mostly through behavioral means.”

Example: Juneau, Alaska

A 30% Reduction in Electricity Use Is not Only Possible,

but Actually Occurred in Juneau, Alaska.

– Alan Meier, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

10 Proprietary and Confidential

Engaging Employees in Conservation Leadership

– Christine Gustafson and Margo Longland, BC Hydro

Proprietary and

Confidential

• Usage declined 5% the first year and an additional 4% the second year

Employee reaction

50% very effective and 40% somewhat effective

• Favorite employee programs

• Floor challenge, cubicle tune-up, posters and stickers

• 2007 commercial potential: 15% from behavior and O&M

Example: BC Hydro

11 Proprietary and Confidential

12




Agenda


Agentis Energy: What We Do

13


Understanding Your Customer

Wors

hip

• Email dominates communication because volunteers and users

are transient or sporadic

• People communicate through postings

• Places of worship are quickly turned off when referred to as a

business. They believe their purpose is fundamentally different

even though they acknowledge that a bottom-line still exists

• Places of worship prefer to put their resources towards their

mission rather than energy conservation

Resta

ura

nt

• Restaurant employees often do not have email

• English may be second language

• Kitchen wall hangings must be laminated


The Challenge of Variation


Jewish Reconstruction

Congregation United Methodist Church

Year Built 2008 1950s

Custodial Staff Yes No

Electricity Consumption Automated Determined by >100 people

Electricity Management Building takes care of itself

and no help is needed

Overwhelmed and priorities are

placed elsewhere. Desires help

Building Usage During Week High (volunteers) High (volunteers)

Building Investment Pipeline No investment needed Investment greatly needed

Focus of Funds Mission (includes environment) Mission (does not include environment)

Communication Email used extensively along with

newsletter and weekly announcements

All forms of communication most heavily

dependent on email and word-of-mouth

Open to Recommendations No Yes

Proprietary and

Confidential

Business Type

Avg. % of Energy

Used When

Closed

Outpatient Health Care 40%

Other 39%

Lodging 38%

Nursing 37%

Office 37%

Religious Worship 37%

Non-Refrigerated Warehouse 36%

Unknown 33%

Food Sales 33%

Service 32%

Retail: Other Than Mall 28%

Strip Shopping Mall 28%

Food Service 27%

Public Assembly 26%

Education 19%

Off-Hour Commercial Energy Use

An analysis of ~6,000

businesses showed 33%

of total energy usage

occurred when the

businesses were closed.

Some business types like

Office and Religious Worship

have a clear opportunity to use

less energy when closed.

Proper business segmentation

is important for both analysis

and engagement.


meea technical webinar: beyond traditional programs – ee behavior change at commercial accounts

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