2011–2023 Launching the Business Energy Advisor. To help commercial customers make smart energy-related decisions, OUC launched the interactive Business Energy Advisor (BEA) microsite, which was continually updated in the following years. BEA featured an online library with
Expanding Excellence on the Smart Grid. In 2014, CS Week and Electric Light
information on equipment-buying, maintenance tips and low-cost solutions, as well as industryspecific resources to help users learn about
& Power magazine gave OUC its prestigious
energy consumption and load profiles for facilities
“Expanding Excellence Award” for Best Smart
like theirs. The website included calculators and
Grid Infrastructure in the Large Utility category,
checklists to help customers determine how much
which evaluated North American utilities with
they’d save by upgrading equipment, as well as
more than $500 million in revenue. The award
a benchmarking function to pinpoint the most
recognized OUC’s innovative, low-cost and
energy-intensive areas of their business.
comprehensive Meter Data Management
Encouraging Conservation with the OUC Usage Dashboard. The ability to see and adjust usage patterns to lower energy bills was one of the items most
project, the acceleration of digital meter deployment, and the ability for customers to make real-time payments from hundreds of new locations. The following year, OUC was honored
frequently requested by OUC customers. To
by the same publications, this time for
accommodate their needs, OUC released the
Innovation in Customer Service. The award
OUC Usage Dashboard in October 2014 to
was especially significant because it
nearly 20,000 residential customers to test the
placed OUC at the top of a category that
program before the full rollout at year-end.
included all large utilities in North America.
Because the new system also provided high-
OUC was recognized for taking customer/
consumption alerts via email, changes in
utility connectivity into the future by vastly
usage could be made immediately, and costs
increasing the size and speed of information
could be kept in check.
flow and providing a seamless user experience.
Power Pass: A Flexible Way for Customers To Control Energy, Water Usage To make it easier for customers to stay current on their bills, OUC launched Power Pass in 2015, a prepaid pay-as-you-go program for utility services. Power Pass allows customers to monitor their electric or water usage daily from a computer, tablet or smartphone. Customers can then pay when they want, the amount they want, and how they want — online, by phone or in person at over 500 locations around town, including convenience and grocery stores. When consumption gets high, customers get Power Pass alerts via email. Power Pass is ideal for customers who want to avoid paying deposits and late fees, value the opportunity to monitor and control their utility usage, split their utility bill with roommates, or travel frequently and don’t consume electricity and water on a regular basis. Power Pass also drives conservation by increasing awareness of usage, with an 8% reduction in electric energy usage among Power Pass users.
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