TOU Trends Module

This module is used in High Bill Alert (HBA) emails for customers on time-of-use plans. The module shows customers what portion of their energy use occurs during on-peak periods, provides details about the cost of energy use during peak periods, displays usage charts for weekdays and weekends, and encourages them to shift their energy usage to off-peak hours.

Note:

This section describes only the TOU Trends module and does not cover additional modules that are delivered within the High Bill Alert AMI Email communication. See the Oracle Utilities Opower Proactive Alerts Cloud Service Product Overview for more information about the other modules.

Design

This image shows an example of the module:

This image shows an example of the TOU Trends module.

Configuration Options

For each element listed in the table, indicate the desired configuration in the Input Value column. If you do not provide an input for optional configurations, the default will be used.

Configuration Option	Input Value
Color in Graphic By default, the color of the clock graphic is set to use the utility's On Peak color.	Optional Choose one of the following: Use the default color. Work with your Delivery Team to specify other colors.
Low Usage Threshold If the customer only has a small percentage of their usage during peak hours, the module is adjusted to remove some peak hour information. By default, the threshold is set to 0.05 (5%).	Optional Choose one of the following: Use the default threshold. Use this threshold:
Chart Legend Indicators You can specify whether to include the dollar sign indicators next to the peak period names in the legend. The indicators are included by default using the Config Show Legend TOU Period Dollar Signs configuration. For example: Off-peak ($) Partial-peak ($$) On-peak ($$$)	Optional Choose one of the following: Display the indicators. Do not display the indicators.
Chart Legend Labels You can specify whether to include labels under each item in the chart legend. The labels are included by default using the Config Show Legend TOU Period Sub-Label configuration. For example: Lower costs Medium costs Higher costs	Optional Choose one of the following: Display the labels. Do not display the labels.
Show Weekend Chart Separately You can configure the charts to display weekday and weekend days as two separate charts, or to combine the days into a single chart. You can not combine the charts if the TOU periods are different on weekdays and weekends. By default, the charts are set to display separately.	Optional Choose one of the following: Display separate charts. Do not display separate charts.

Configuration Option

Input Value

Color in Graphic

By default, the color of the clock graphic is set to use the utility's On Peak color.

Optional

Choose one of the following:

Use the default color.
Work with your Delivery Team to specify other colors.

Low Usage Threshold

If the customer only has a small percentage of their usage during peak hours, the module is adjusted to remove some peak hour information.

By default, the threshold is set to 0.05 (5%).

Optional

Choose one of the following:

Use the default threshold.
Use this threshold:

Chart Legend Indicators

You can specify whether to include the dollar sign indicators next to the peak period names in the legend. The indicators are included by default using the Config Show Legend TOU Period Dollar Signs configuration. For example:

Off-peak ($)
Partial-peak ($$)
On-peak ($$$)

Optional

Choose one of the following:

Display the indicators.
Do not display the indicators.

Chart Legend Labels

You can specify whether to include labels under each item in the chart legend. The labels are included by default using the Config Show Legend TOU Period Sub-Label configuration. For example:

Lower costs
Medium costs
Higher costs

Optional

Choose one of the following:

Display the labels.
Do not display the labels.

Show Weekend Chart Separately

You can configure the charts to display weekday and weekend days as two separate charts, or to combine the days into a single chart.

You can not combine the charts if the TOU periods are different on weekdays and weekends.

By default, the charts are set to display separately.

Optional

Choose one of the following:

Display separate charts.
Do not display separate charts.

User Experience Variations

This section discusses the user experience variations in the TOU Trends module.

Usage Variations

The usage version of the module varies from the cost version as follows:

Weekday Bar Chart: The chart depicts the average weekday electricity usage during each hour of the day. The different peak periods are color coded, and described in the legend below the chart, to enable readers to easily identify when they are using the most electricity.

Weekend Bar Chart: The chart depicts the average weekend electricity usage during each hour of the day. Utilities typically do not have peak periods on weekends, therefore, this chart is typically shown in a single color with a legend below. The data helps readers understand when they are using energy on the weekends.

Tiered TOU Plans

For tiered TOU plans, the module varies in the following way:

Insight Statement: This statement explains how much more expensive energy is during peak hours compared to off-peak hours. The tier with the highest cost ratio is used when calculating the price ratio in the statement, which might say, "On-peak hours are from 4pm - 7pm. Electricity is up to 2.2x more expensive during this time."

TOU Hours the Same on Weekdays and Weekends

If TOU hours are the same during weekdays and weekends, only one chart is included in the module. The chart encompasses both weekdays and weekend days, and the date range reflects the full date range.

The header is changed as follows for cost variations:

Header for Cost Variations: "Your average hourly cost"
Header for Usage Variations: "Your average hourly usage"

Holiday Variation

When a holiday is included in the time period, the module is updated as follows for cost variations:

Chart titles: "Your average <weekend or weekday> and holiday spending"

The module is updated as follows for usage variations:

Chart titles: "Your average <weekend or weekday> and holiday usage"