What is the transformative potential of increased customer access to energy data? By tracking and distilling activity in the customer analytics market, GTM Research’s grid edge team is continuously examining how the enhanced collection of data opens new possibilities for customers to engage with their energy usage.
Below, Analyst Andrew Mulherkar provides some insight into key deployments from 2016 and what they mean for the customer analytics market.
FIGURE: Grid Edge Customer Analytics Deployment Submarkets, 2016
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1. Tendril
Deployed with: Duke, AEP/Indiana Michigan Power
Why it matters: Mobile engagement in early phases of adoption
As the provisioning of power evolves into a service, it has become common wisdom that today’s consumers want to engage with their utilities as they do with other service providers, such as banks, via easy-to-use digital tools. Tendril’s MyHome is one such development in mobile experience. The app provides customers with information across billing, outage, energy efficiency and demand response activities.
AM: Tendril competes with Bidgely and Connected Savings, both of which have also taken a mobile-first approach to utility customer engagement. Tendril's pilots with Duke and AEP, alongside Connected Savings' demonstration with National Grid, will be early indicators of the benefits regulated U.S. utilities can expect to see from investments in mobile customer engagement.
2. FirstFuel
Deployed with: Con Edison
Why it matters: The B2B customer experience is a key area of focus
Early this year, Con Edison expanded its relationship with Opower in a big way, choosing the vendor's platform to support its customer experience initiative in addition to its upcoming rollout of advanced metering. Con Edison serves more than half a million business customers, and that's where a strategic relationship with FirstFuel comes into play.
AM: FirstFuel is the complement to Opower's residential engagement, providing digital tools that will help a wide variety of businesses to understand and manage their energy spending.
3. Stem
Deployed with: Hawaiian Electric
Why it matters: Other technology expertise can lend itself to customer analytics
Energy storage provider Stem is providing a customer energy management solution to 250 Hawaiian schools, in a partnership with Hawaiian Electric.
AM: This marked an entrance into the customer energy management software market for Stem, and raises the possibility of other storage and perhaps solar providers entering an already-crowded space.
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You can explore past and current deployments and partnerships through the Grid Edge Data Hub, which covers thousands of deployments across all grid edge technologies and markets, including:
- AMI
- Customer energy management
- DER services
- Distribution automation
- Electric vehicle infrastructure
- Grid edge customer analytics
- Grid edge network analytics
- Professional services
- Utility back office
- Utility network operations
Find out more here, or email gridsubscription@gtmresearch.com.