TOU Load Shifting Report Emails

Time of Use (TOU) Load Shifting Report emails provide utility customers with a series of weekly emails. Each email is designed to encourage customers on TOU rate plans to shift electricity to off-peak hours. The emails include rate plan details, personalized energy use insights, and actionable tips to help customers reduce usage when electricity is most expensive, and save money on their energy bills.

Requirements and Limitations

The following data requirements and limitations apply to utilities and customers using the TOU Load Shifting Report emails. These requirements must be met for a utility and a customer to participate in the program.

Utility Requirements and Limitations

This list specifies the utility requirements and limitations:

  • Rate Modeling or Rate Engine Plus: In order for the platform to support utility-specific rates, an intensive rates modeling and configuration process is necessary.
  • Required Cloud Services: Oracle Utilities Opower Load Shifting, Rate Coach

Customer Requirements and Limitations

This list specifies the customer requirements and limitations:

  • Billing Frequency: Monthly or bi-monthly.
  • Data Delivery Frequency: Daily. Must be received within 48 hours from last data read.
  • Data Requirements: Interval data (hourly or more granular).
    • Hourly Disaggregation Data Requirements:There are additional AMI data requirements to show advanced insights such as appliance-level disaggregation. Contact your Delivery Team for more information.
  • Data History: Interval data for the last two weeks, billing data for the last 12 months, and AMI data to the beginning of the current billing cycle. Note that the Hourly Usage module has additional data history requirements.
  • Data Coverage: Oracle must receive read coverage for the period included in the email. The period duration can vary from 5 to 7 days (for weekly emails), as it depends on the utility's peak hour intervals. This product does not differentiate between estimated and non-estimated reads. Both types of reads are supported. At least 75% of possible reads for the current billing cycle (including estimated reads) is required to calculate the bill forecast.
  • Fuel Type: Electric-only or dual fuel. Note that these emails cover only the electric portion of the customer's bill and usage.
  • Meter Type: The customer must have a smart meter.
  • Customer Type: The customer must be residential.
  • Rate Plan: The customer must be on a Time of Use (TOU) rate plan to receive the TOU Load Shifting Report emails.
  • Multiple Service Points: Not currently supported.
  • Zero Usage: In the case when a customer hasn't used any electricity during the week, several checks are completed to determine whether to hide modules:
    • Introduction Email: If the Hourly Usage module has no usage, the module is excluded from the Introduction Email.
    • Emails Including the Season Transition Information: If the Weekly Email or the Post-Bill Report Email includes a Season Transition module, and the Weekly Comparison module has no usage, the Weekly Comparison module is excluded from the communication. If the Hourly Usage module has no usage, the module is excluded from the communication.

Customer Experience: TOU Load Shifting Report Emails

Customers who participate in the TOU Load Shifting Report email program receive one of the following email types each week:

  • Introduction emails
  • Weekly emails
  • Post-Bill Report emails

Each email is comprised of individual modules. Additionally, the Easy Open module, which is included in the Proactive Alerts Cloud Service, can also be included in the emails.

Note:

Oracle recommends using the default order of the modules, as the emails were designed to be read from top to bottom, to provide the reader with an easy-to-understand message about their energy use. The default order of the modules for each email is listed in the following topics.

Introduction Emails

The Introduction email is the first weekly email customers receive as part of the program. This email is designed to welcome customers to the program, provide peak hour energy use insights, and offer tips on how to reduce energy use during peak hours.

The Introduction email contains the following modules, in the order listed:


Standard introduction email example.

Weekly Emails

The Weekly email is delivered to customers at the end of each week. It provides peak hour energy use insights as well as a comparison between peak hour electricity spending during the current week and the previous week. The email also includes a breakdown of up to three appliances that were used during peak hours.

Customers begin receiving the Weekly email after they receive their Introduction email, and do not receive the Weekly email in weeks when they receive the Post-Bill Report Email.

The Weekly email contains these modules, in the order listed:


Weekly Example Email.

Post-Bill Report Emails

The Post-Bill Report is delivered to customers at the end of each month. The report helps customers understand which appliances they are using during peak hours, and how that usage contributes to their energy charges under a TOU rate plan. It includes a comparison of peak usage or costs between the customer's most recent bill and previous bill, a peak period disaggregation module, and a tip.

By default, the Post-Bill Report emails contain these modules, in the order listed:


Post-Bill Report email example.