Kim Burke, Associate Director at E Source, presented at the 2012 BECC conference on how utilities can evolve from traditional marketing to meeting customers in innovative ways to change behavior. Her slides provide some of the best new approaches we've seen from utilities to engage customers in energy conservation and awareness. Learn more about Kim Burke and the thought leadership that she provides for utility marketers: www.esource.com/RES

1. Moving Beyond Traditional
Media to Change Behaviors
Kim Burke
BECC 2012
www.esource.com Wednesday, November 14, 2012

2. Electricity is invisible. We all rely on it but unfortunately most of us take it for granted. We only really think about it
when we get our bill or if the power goes out as unfortunately millions of people on the east coast experienced a
couple of weeks ago during Hurricane Sandy. And until recently, most of us could never see how much we were
using in real time.

3. Smart meters are changing the way that customers
see their energy use. Utilities have an important
role to play in getting energy-use data in the hands
of their customers. They are uniquely positioned to
help customers understand how they use energy
and how to use it more wisely. Simply providing
customers with ways to access their real-time
energy consumption data is not enough. Telling
people how many kWh they used isn't that
valuable. We need to provide feedback that tells
people how they are doing in a language they can
understand and that makes it tangible.
Courtesy: practicalowl

4. One way to get people to actually
act on the information you’re
providing them and to motivate them
to change their behaviors, is to
combine feedback with social norms.
Norms provide guidance to what are
socially acceptable behaviors.
Utilities and other companies
are using messaging around social
norms to help drive behavior
change. We’ve learned what a
powerful effect that telling people
what their neighbors are doing or
comparing them to a peer group can
have on behavior. Although people
won’t consciously admit it, normative
messaging can be a stronger
incentive to motivate people to save
energy than the opportunity to save
money or to help the environment.
Courtesy: EatLA.com

5. Behavioral Program Components
Information Motivational Marketing &
provided approaches outreach
Energy saving tips Social norms Targeting
Pledges /
Prompts commitment Media
Contests
Energy Social networks /
consumption Word-of-mouth
Games
Comparison to
Opt-in / Opt-out
peer group Rewards
Alerts Community Canvassing
achievement
© E Source
5 www.esource.com || © 2012 E Source

6. Will tracking energy use ever become as addicting as your morning cup of coffee or checking out
what your friends on Facebook are doing? Perhaps not. But a few utilities are making the bet that
engaging with customers through social networks and using normative messaging is a smart way to
get their attention in places where they are already spending so much of their time.

7. PG&E Winter Gas Savings Tracker
Courtesy: PG&E

8. PG&E Winter Gas Savings Tracker
Courtesy: PG&E

9. Greater engagement = greater savings
Average therms saved
25
20.5
20
17.7
16.0
15
Therms
12.2
11.0
10
5
0
Control Only 1 Login 2 Logins 3 Logins 4 or more Logins
© E Source [data from PG&E]
9 www.esource.com || © 2012 E Source

10. San Diego Biggest Energy Saver
Courtesy: SDG&E

11. Reduce Your Use and the
San Diego Energy Challenge
Courtesy: SDG&E

12. Mommy Bloggers
Courtesy: Mamarazzi
Courtesy: EcoCrazy Mom

13. ComEd Online Games
www.comedgames.com/arcade
Courtesy: ComEd

14. Courtesy: Oncor

15. where do we go from here?
15 www.esource.com || © 2012 E Source

16. Manage expectations
Courtesy: Dilbert by Scott Adams
16 www.esource.com || © 2012 E Source

17. Go where your customers are
17 www.esource.com || © 2012 E Source

18. Be creative, have fun!
Courtesy: Ernst Moeksis via Flickr
18 www.esource.com || © 2012 E Source

19. For More Information
Kim Burke
Associate Director, Research, E Source
303-345-9114 kim_burke@esource.com
19 www.esource.com || © 2012 E Source