NORCROSS, Ga., Nov. 03, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Comverge, Inc., the leading provider of demand management solutions for electric utilities, today announced that it has partnered with Apogee Interactive, Inc., the industry leader in customer engagement and energy analysis software serving more than 650 US utilities. The combined solution leverages multiple data streams and analytics to deliver relevant, personal and actionable energy efficiency insights and tips to consumers. Whereas most behavioral energy efficiency programs on the market today offer generic tips based on broad assumptions for large segments of a population, Comverge and Apogee will use customer-level data to determine what works best for each individual, an approach that has proven to deliver superior results.
When this solution is implemented in conjunction with Comverge’s number-one ranked demand response offerings, utilities can achieve unmatched cost-effectiveness by utilizing a single thermostat and engagement portal to drive both energy savings and peak reduction and can better engage customers by offering them increased control and visibility into their energy consumption.
With the Apogee capabilities fully integrated into the IntelliSOURCE mobile-friendly customer engagement portal, the new offering leverages thermostat runtime, temperature data, meter and billing information, customer data and weather to determine the insights relevant to an individual customer and present a personalized estimate of expected savings resulting from a suggested action. Insights may include, for example, how a specific customer may save 15% of their energy bill by accepting a recommended adjustment to their thermostat settings, notification that a customer’s HVAC may need maintenance, or a high bill alert that explains how warmer temperatures are contributing to an energy bill that is 20% higher and suggests actions the customer can take to mitigate that impact. Insights are delivered either in-app, via push notifications or via email, and thermostat-related tips can be implemented instantly by the consumer with the touch of a button.
“We are excited to further improve our energy efficiency solution by leveraging Apogee’s two decades of experience creating energy efficiency customer engagement tools that deliver meaningful energy savings by presenting insights tailored to an individual consumer,” said Steve Hambric, Comverge vice president, strategic sales and operations. “Utilities are recognizing the significant customer engagement and cost savings benefits that can be achieved by combining demand response and energy efficiency programs, and sophisticated customer engagement portals are a cornerstone of this approach. Integrating the Apogee capabilities into our portal makes it one of the most compelling on the market today.”
Joel Gilbert, Apogee chief software architect and co-founder, agreed, “The Comverge customer engagement portal is the best sustainable engagement choice for utilities interested in helping their customers save energy and money. Apogee’s energy analysis has been shown to produce substantial household energy savings in these applications, and we look forward to bringing our expertise to drive even stronger results for Comverge and its clients.”
To learn more about Comverge’s perspective on integrating demand response and energy efficiency using technology such as customer engagement portals, download the Comverge eBook.
About Comverge
Comverge is the industry’s leading provider of integrated demand response, energy efficiency and customer engagement solutions that enable electric utilities to ensure grid reliability, lower energy costs, meet regulatory demands and enhance the customer experience. Through its combination of software, hardware and services, Comverge helps utilities optimize every aspect of a demand management program, from participant recruitment and device installation to call center support, control events and measurement and verification. Comverge has worked with hundreds of electric utilities to deploy nearly six million energy management devices and enroll more than 1.8 million residential customers into mass-market demand management programs. In July 2015, Navigant Research ranked Comverge the industry’s number one demand response provider. For more information, visit www.comverge.com and follow us on Twitter at @Comverge.
About Apogee Interactive, Inc.
Founded in 1993, Apogee pioneered electronic applications designed to increase a utility’s customer engagement and consumers' 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 weather analysis apps are available for mobile devices. Clients include investor-owned, municipal and cooperative energy companies including Con Edison (ED), American Electric Power (AEP), PSEG (PEG), CPS, Georgia Power (GPE-A), LCEC, Avista (AVA), and SMUD. For more information, visit www.apogee.net.