ATLANTA, Feb. 10, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Jackson Electric Membership Cooperative (EMC) teamed up with Apogee Interactive to offer an Energy Fitness Challenge to its members and the sizzling hot results are being presented this week at the 25th Annual Conference of the Association of Energy Service Professionals in Orlando. The conference attracts hundreds of utility program managers, energy efficiency professionals and energy policy makers from around the country each year.
Jackson EMC, one the largest electric membership cooperatives in the country, will present the Energy Fitness Challenge it conducted last summer using its online home energy efficiency apps powered by Apogee. From June through August, members could sign up for Jackson's "Home Fitness Monitor" online to quickly assess their home's energy efficiency and create their own energy saving plan -- and be entered into a drawing for an iPad. Each month, members automatically receive a "progress report" showing a simple, visual analysis of their home energy use and progress toward their goal.
"We wanted to create a fun, contest-like atmosphere to generate interest and we used multiple marketing channels to spread the word," explained Amy Bryan, Director of Residential Marketing for Jackson EMC. "The ease of the online signup process, the simple, bold graphics of the home's energy analysis, combined with each home's savings plan kept the momentum going," she said.
Sign-ups for Energy Fitness tracking increased five-fold over the previous summer and participation in Jackson EMC's online energy audit also increased by 30 percent. "With that level of response, we are offering the challenge again this winter through March," Bryan added. "Our new prizes include $1,000 gift certificates for Academy Sports and Outdoors and Fitbit Flex monitors."
Jackson EMC has partnered with Apogee for online energy analysis tools and programs for more than a decade. "We were delighted to partner with the innovative team at Jackson EMC to tailor the look-and-feel of these tools to reflect the Energy Fitness theme and facilitate the contest sign up process," said Susan Gilbert, Apogee President and Chief Executive Officer. "Jackson has always been in the forefront of creativity in marketing energy efficiency to their members, and we are proud to be associated with a utility achieving such excellent customer satisfaction levels," Gilbert added, noting that Jackson consistently earns high customer satisfaction scores in the J. D. Power rankings.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Apogee is the leading provider of online energy analysis and customer engagement applications to 650 electric and gas utilities across the US, reaching more than 56 million customers. Its communication platform and predictive software consistently earn high marks for versatility, accuracy, and ease of use.
Jackson EMC (www.jacksonemc.com) is a consumer-owned cooperative providing electricity and related services to more than 215,000 members in portions of 10 northeast Georgia counties. The EMC was one of 50 companies nationwide to be named a 2014 Customer Champion by J.D. Power.
Apogee Interactive Inc. (www.apogee.net) Founded in 1993, Apogee pioneered electronic applications designed to increase a utility's customer engagement and consumer energy efficiency. Today, its comprehensive customer communication platform of applications has expanded to include personalized video messaging, outbound email and text messaging, and its energy analysis apps are available for mobile devices. Clients include investor-owned, municipal and cooperative energy companies including Con Edison (ED), American Electric Power (AEP), Entergy (ETR), Southern Company (SO), NSTAR (NST), Salt River Project, Jackson EMC and Flint Energies.