Requirements and Limitations

The following data requirements and limitations apply to all utilities and customers in the Behavioral Demand Response Cloud Service.

On this page:

Channel Fees

Utilities may purchase a channel fee if they are using any printed behavioral demand response communications as part of the Oracle Utilities Opower program. Channels fees are used to add on report generation, printing, mailing, and postage services to a cloud service. There are two types of options: General Availability and Controlled Availability channel fees. The type that is relevant depends on the individual Oracle Utilities Opower program setup. Coordinate with your sales representative if you need help determining which type applies.

A summary of the fees is shown below. For more details about what each channel fee includes and the requirements for using them, see the Oracle Utilities Opower Channel Fees Cloud Services guide.

General Availability Channel Fees

The General Availability channel fees are applicable if the utility has a version of the cloud service that includes report generation. These channel fees can be purchased for different regions.

  • Report Printing and Mailing: The Report Printing and Mailing channel fee includes the printing of generated report communications through an approved third-party print vendor, as well as services for the proper mailing of the reports. It does not include postage for mailing the reports to customers.

  • Postage for Print and Mail: The Postage for Print and Mail channel fee includes postage for the delivery of print communications.

    Note: The postage channel fee cannot be purchased alone. It must be purchased in combination with the printing and mailing channel.

Controlled Availability Channel Fees

The Controlled Availability channel fees are applicable if the utility has a version of the cloud service that does not include report generation. A utility may only choose one of the channel fees listed below.

  • Report Generation: The Report Generation channel fee includes generating a digital version of print communications. It does not include the printing and mailing of print communications.
  • Report Generation and Print: The Report Generation and Print channel fee includes the generation and printing of print communications. It does not include the mailing of print communications.
  • Report Generation, Print and Mail: The Report Generation, Print and Mail channel fee includes the generation, printing, and mailing of print communications.

Back to Top

Utility Requirements and Limitations

  • Number of Events: Up to five events are included per 12-month service period. Events generally occur during the June 1 - September 30 window. Unused events from one window cannot be carried over into the following window. Additional evens can be purchased. For more information, see Add-On Features.
  • Scale: 1M+. Attrition, opt-outs, customer eligibility, and data availability may affect the actual number of communications sent. By default, at least 50,000 customers are selected to receive BDR communications. Assuming a standard attrition percentage, this is the minimum number of customers required to measure the impact of the program.
  • Languages: Spanish is supported, however, not all languages and locales are supported at this time. Contact your Oracle Utilities Sales Representative to confirm alerts are available in your market.

Back to Top

Customer Requirements and Limitations

  • Data Integration and Peak Event Data: Billing data and AMI reads are used to provide certain BDR features. AMI data requires a smart meter which indicates how much energy was consumed over an interval of time. Utilities must also provide peak event definitions, including date, day, and time, and customer usage during the event to Oracle Utilities. Moreover, customers must have at least one read during the peak event to receive post-event communications. This data must be sent in the correct format according to the Oracle Utilities Opower data transfer standards. Your Delivery Team will work with you to identify which data standards are applicable to your situation.

    Note: Non-AMI BDR is available with limited features. It allows for the notification of the upcoming event, but does not include the use of smart meter data to compare a customer’s energy usage with their neighbors.

  • Supported Fuels: Gas and electricity fuels are supported, but limitations apply. For example, gas-only customers are eligible for the Neighbor Comparison experience, but not for the Neighbor Rank experience. See Customer Experience Variations for more information.
  • Non-negative Baseline Usage: The customer's usage must not be negative for the period covered by the communication.
  • Message Delivery Window: Specific rules govern when communications can and cannot be sent. See Delivery for more information.
  • Delivery Address Validity: Customers must have valid email addresses, mailing addresses, and/or phone numbers to receive communications through these channels. Customers who have not double-opt-in-confirmed their SMS number are not able to receive SMS alerts.
  • Multiple Active Accounts: Homes must not have more than one account associated with a service point.
  • Multiple Service Points: Homes must not have more than one electric service point.
  • Residential: Customers must be residential. Business customers are not supported.
  • Neighbor Group: Customers must have a large enough neighbor comparison group to be eligible.
  • Minimum Energy Amount: Customers must have a minimum amount of average energy use for the program.

Back to Top