Requirements and Limitations

The following data requirements and limitations apply to all utilities and customers in the Home Energy Reports program. These requirements must be met in order for a utility and a customer to participate in the program.

Channel Fees

Utilities may purchase a channel fee if they are using any printed rate education 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

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.

Utility Requirements and Limitations

  • Templates: Oracle Utilities has established standard templates for Home Energy Reports, which the US Postal Service has confirmed are currently eligible for mailing under the USPS Standard Mail classification. A deviation from these templates may cause the mailing of Home Energy Reports to be ineligible for USPS Standard Mail classification. If a utility purchases a print or mail channel, then Oracle Utilities Opower standard Home Energy Report templates will be used for the program. In the event that the utility and Oracle Utilities agree to deviate from such templates, the utility is responsible for any corresponding increase in postage.
  • Data Integration: Customer data and energy use data must be sent by the utility to Oracle Utilities in the correct schema and according to the Oracle Utilities Opower data transfer standards.
  • Other Data Sources: Oracle Utilities uses third-party reference data, such as weather and parcel data, to learn more about customers and the areas where they live. This information allows Oracle Utilities to identify neighbors, recommend tips, and provide additional energy insights. Moreover, customers can submit information through available Oracle Utilities Opower applications. For example, customers can submit information about their homes in the Energy Efficiency Web Portal.

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Customer Requirements and Limitations

  • Billing Frequency: The customer must be billed monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly. Billing requirements vary by module. See the module descriptions that follow for details.
  • Energy Use Threshold: Customers must meet a minimum energy use threshold to receive Home Energy Reports. This energy use threshold is optimized for each individual program.
  • Data History: Each module requires a certain amount of historical data to appear on a customer's report. Backup modules appear for customers who do not have enough data to render a particular module. See the module descriptions that follow for details.
  • Fuel Type: Electric-only, gas-only, and dual fuel.

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