Email Engagement AMI Customer Education Report - Residential
The email Engagement Customer Education Report is the second report sent to residential customers in the program. By default, it is delivered 90 days after smart meter installation. It directs the customer to utility web pages where they can view more of their energy use trends and enroll in other AMI programs and communications offered by the utility. It also includes a smart meter insight that shows customers the time of day when they use the most energy.
Subject Line, Header, Introduction, and Footer
The email subject line asks whether the customers has taken advantage of their new smart meter. Additionally, the email includes the following:
Header: The header includes the utility logo and the customer account number, which might appear masked, depending on your utility's settings.
Introduction: Below the header is the Introduction statement that typically reads as follows when included in the engagement email, "<First Name>, Let's take a look at your personalized smart meter insights!" This statement is followed by a graphic that depicts a home in a community with energy data available for viewing.
Footer: The footer includes:
- The utility's contact information, which includes the address and phone number.
- Optional text statement that can include legal information, disclaimer text, or explanations about how energy use is determined.
- A manage preferences link that enables the user to access the utility's website, where they can specify whether they want to receive communications, and who they are sent to.
- An unsubscribe link, which enables customers to easily unsubscribe from the email. This link must appear due to CAN-SPAM regulations in the US, and for similar regulations in other countries.
Time of Day Use
The Time of Day Use module is intended to:
- Identify the part of the day when the customer typically uses the most energy.
- Show each period’s share as a percentage of the customer’s average daily energy use.
- Highlight the highest-use period.
For example, the module may show that from 6am-12pm, a customer uses 40% of their average daily usage.
This module includes:
Header: The module opens with the heading "Energy use by time of day".
Time Period Details: The module includes 4 time periods (morning, afternoon, evening, and night) and identifies the amount of energy used during each of those periods. The highest usage period is highlighted to call the customer's attention to the period when they typically use the most energy.
Graphic: Below the time period details, a graphic of a house appears, above which an additional graphic is included that depicts the highest-use time of day.
Ways to Save
The Ways to Save module provides customers with two personalized tips to help them reduce energy use during their highest-use period. The tips are:
- Dynamic and relevant to a customer's unique needs
- Automatically selected and prioritized based on each customer's attributes and their highest-use period
- Continually refreshed with new information
- Designed to cover a wide variety of energy-saving categories
This module includes:
Header: The module begins with the header, "Take these actions to reduce your energy use during <highest use period>".
Tips: The module includes two tips. Each tip includes:
- A related graphic
- A heading to identify what the tip information is about. For example, "Power strips".
- Details about how you can use the tip to save energy. For example, the power strip tip text reads, "Use a power strip to turn off multiple devices at once and save time and energy."
Module Variations
This module varies, depending on which time period is considered the highest use period. Users receive 2 tips that correspond to their highest-usage time, as follows:
| High-Use Time Period | Tip 1 | Tip 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Morning |
Shower time Try cutting 1 minute off your shower time. |
Making coffee Keep coffee in a thermos so it stays warm longer. |
| Afternoon |
Cooking meals Avoid leaving the oven heating or water boiling without food cooking. |
Doing laundry Wash your clothes in cold water when possible. |
| Evening |
Sleep mode Set your computer & monitor to go into hibernation mode after a few minutes of inactivity. |
Doing laundry Wash your clothes in cold water when possible. |
| Night |
Light sensors Install sensors on your lights so they’re only on when necessary. |
Set a sleep timer Set a sleep timer on your TV and other electronic devices so they turn off for the night. |
Smart Meter Tips
The Smart Meter Tips module encourages customers to enroll in additional AMI-related communications and programs, such as Weekly Energy Updates. It provides up to three options, each with a short description and an optional link to sign up or learn more.
The module includes:
Header and Graphic: A header that reads, "Tap into insights powered by your smart meter" and is followed by a graphic of a smart meter.
Program Details: The module can include up to three programs or communication items. Each item contains:
- A graphic and heading text. For example, "Get weekly energy reports".
- Text that describes the program or communication. For example, "Receive weekly emails with personalized tips and highlights about your energy use – helping you save more, every week."
- An optional link to sign up for the program or to find more information about the program.
Customer Feedback
At the bottom of the email, utilities can insert the Customer Feedback module, which is part of the Oracle Utilities Energy Efficiency Cloud Service product.