E Source hot topics: Optimizing residential battery storage programs and prepay programs

From now through the end of the E Source Forum 2021, we’re offering up six complimentary pieces of content to all our members. Every month we pull together some of the most viewed pieces to help you navigate this exclusive offer. Here’s what’s been hot this month!

Digital marketing trends that engage customers and drive program results

New digital marketing trends are constantly emerging. But how do you choose which techniques are best for your company’s marketing strategy? We’ve compiled research on the latest digital marketing technologies, platforms, and content types to help you decide if they’re worth adding to your marketing plan. Dive into our findings in Digital marketing trends that engage customers and drive program results by staff writer Anna Nixon and analyst Shelby Kuenzli.

Optimizing residential battery storage programs: Designing your program to maximize benefits for customers and the grid

Residential batteries could benefit the grid, but only if you design, market, and manage these systems to maximize the benefits. The recommendations in this report come from our 2018 and 2019 E Source Residential DER Customer Market Research and our research into residential battery storage initiatives at Con Edison, Green Mountain Power, National Grid, SDG&E, and SRP. Learn more in Optimizing residential battery storage programs by analyst Amy Schmidt.

Including non-energy benefits in the cost-effectiveness calculation can improve energy equity.

Include non-energy benefits in cost-effectiveness tests to improve energy equity

Non-energy benefits (NEBs) are benefits that aren’t related to saving energy or reducing demand. These benefits include improving health or productivity, saving water, or reducing environmental impacts. Most utility cost-effectiveness tests ignore NEBs, leading to an undervaluation of the program’s benefits. Low- and moderate-income (LMI) customers need greater incentives to invest in energy efficiency, so LMI programs are rarely cost-effective from an energy-savings perspective. Including NEBs in the calculation can improve energy equity. Read Include non-energy benefits in cost-effectiveness tests to improve energy equity by staff writer Liza Minor for more information.

Prepay programs can change customer behavior and save energy

Paying in advance for goods and services isn’t a new concept. We all pay for gas before fueling our cars, we pay for groceries before we eat them, and nearly 30% of mobile phone users are on prepaid plans. But in the US, just about 2% of utility customers prepay for electricity or natural gas. Find out more by reading Prepay programs can change customer behavior and save energy by senior manager Beth Fitzjarrald.

How to know if heat-recovery and energy-recovery ventilation is right for homes in your territory

There’s evidence that heat-recovery ventilation (HRV) and energy-recovery ventilation (ERV) units can save energy in residential settings, but most of those findings come from studies of modeled results. More field studies could help you justify major investments and new programs for these technologies. However, the existing studies point in a consistent direction: Newer homes in more-extreme climate regions are more likely to see cost-effective energy savings from an ERV or HRV system. Check out How to know if heat-recovery and energy-recovery ventilation are right for homes in your territory by lead analysts Miles Hayes and Bryan Jungers and staff writer Laura Beausire to learn more.

Happy reading!