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Vol. 15 November 2006 |
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12th Annual Online Solutions Workshop Highlights
By: Susan Gilbert, President, APOGEE Interactive, Inc.
Everyone at APOGEE looks forward to our Annual User Group Meeting and Online Solutions Workshop. These two days are the culmination of our work to enhance our applications. It’s also our chance to share our latest innovations with our customers and get feedback that will help shape our development priorities for the coming year. The best part is we get the chance to meet with the people we serve through our online applications 24/7. By all accounts, this was our best workshop ever!
The meeting began on a Tuesday morning with an intense day of product-focused discussions covering our energy education application, the home and business energy analysis estimators, and BillingInsights™, which integrates with billing systems to provide precise costs and savings figures for utility customers trying to carefully manage their energy bills. For a sneak peak into the future, we also showed the intuitive new “MyDesktop” concept and unveiled ProgressInsights™, an application that lets customers know monthly how they are performing against a predetermined standard or plan.
In early December, all users can expect to receive the minutes from the day-long brainstorming session along with the production priorities that will dictate when we target each enhancement for release.
Then, we adjourned to enjoy historic Stone Mountain Park where we were treated to a scenic dinner cruise on an authentic riverboat. What a great beginning to our 12th Annual Online Solutions Workshop!
Our objective for these workshops is to bring together industry experts, our customers, and prospects to share the latest trends in customer service on the web. We covered the basics of how to engage customers, how to enable user-friendly self-service at the utility’s website, and how to increase effectiveness by providing accurate expert software systems. It all ties together with the recurring theme: 
increasing customer satisfaction while reducing costs.
Two highpoints of the meeting were delivered by Jeff Conklin, Sr. Dir., Energy Utilities Practice with JD Power & Associates, and author and humorist Ken Futch, our lunchtime entertainment. Jeff caused jaws to drop when he shared the plunging results of his firm’s 2006 Residential Customer Satisfaction Survey. The good news: we have plenty of room for upward movement. Then as if we needed anything more shocking, Ken shared with us his 
inspiring and entertaining real-life story of shooting himself in the head and living to tell of the life-altering incident.
In addition, our thanks go out to our guest speakers from Chartwell, “Trends in Web-based Customer Service;” Usability Concepts, “Utility Website Comparative Study;” and to our many customers who shared their own unique experiences in panel presentations.
Other favorite moments included:
- Joe Padgett from LCEC, who exhaustively tested the Commercial Calculator, was asked about his confidence in its accuracy. “Scary,” he responded, "Scary in a good way: one of our tests predicted annual energy use within 9 kWhs a year.”
- Laurie Parker from Nashville Electric Service (NES) who presented APOGEE with a duplicate of the PRSA award NES received for having an exceptional website.
On the third day, 60 attendees stayed over for the Web Boot Camp. This training session teaches the best practices of building and maintaining a great website. APOGEE’s veteran trainer, Dan Lockman, choreographed a full-day of presentations including two leading usability experts, and a number of experienced APOGEE staff who design, write for, or promote websites for more than 200 utilities across the country.
We’ve long felt that the highest compliment we can receive is our customers coming to our meetings to share openly their thoughts, challenges, and experiences. We are inspired that so many took the time to help us push the envelope of what can be done for customers through the web. If this meeting's attendance is any indication, the year ahead will bring an abundance of innovation that will continue revolutionizing how we help satisfy customers by allowing them to serve themselves.
There is much to be expected in the years ahead from increased Internet use, greater investment in enabling self-service and more interest from consumers in understanding and managing their energy options. Mark your calendars for October 2, 3, and 4, 2007 when we’ll do it again. Until then, we'll be working hard to maintain your confidence and trust in hopes you'll compliment us once again with your presence in 2007.
News You
Can Use
The 2006 ACE award recognizes Excellence in Customer Service, Web Activity, Creative Marketing, Conservation & Stewardship and Innovation. This year during APOGEE’s Online Solutions Workshop and User Group meeting, 11 forward-thinking industry leaders were named.
And the winners are...
Shown Left to Right: Derek Buras, Entergy; Adrian Mallery, Redding Electric Utilities; Todd Chapman, Newberry Electric; Amy Bryan, Jackson EMC; Laurie Parker, Nashville Electric Service, Joe Padgett LCEC; Craig Frank, Central GA EMC; and Neil Grigsby, Tacoma Public Utilities.
Winners not shown: Paul Bony, Delta Montrose Electric Assn.; Jimmy Autry, Flint Energies; Angela Perez, Roanoke Electric.
Winners in the Customer Service category included Joe Padgett at LCEC (www.lcec.net) for his work customizing the pool and spa feature in his online residential calculator called “Calc-U-Saver”; Craig Frank, Central Georgia EMC (www.cgemc.com) for successfully launching an automated online energy bill analysis program; and Angela Perez of Roanoke Electric Cooperative (www.roanokeelectric.com) for recognizing the need for consistency in navigation and look while launching five new customer-friendly, self-service websites consecutively for their five operating companies.
Todd Chapman of Newberry Electric Cooperative (www.nec.coop) earned the ACE award for Best Web Activity. Under Todd’s leadership, Newberry Electric Cooperative recorded more web traffic by a factor of four than other utilities in the 12,000 to 15,000 member range.
Earning recognition for Most Creative Marketing was Paul Bony of Delta-Montrose Electric ( www.dmea.com ) for his work creating the Home Energy Makeover Contest that not only drove traffic to his website and increased customers' knowledge of energy efficiency but also granted $25,000 in energy efficiency improvements to the home most in need.
The ACE award for Outstanding Conservation & Stewardship went to Dalene Moore of Tacoma Power (www.ci.tacoma.wa.us/power ) for customizing the EnergyStar™ comparison feature in Tacoma Power’s online calculator and to Adrian Mallery of Redding Electric Utility (www.reupower.com) for instilling energy efficiency in the minds of youth by integrating the HomeEnergyCalculator™ into REU’s school programs.
The final category of Innovation recognizes those who consistently advance online applications and web tools to better serve their customers. These winners include Derek Buras, senior analyst with Entergy (www.entergy.com); Amy Bryan, residential marketing director at Jackson EMC (www.jacksonemc.com); Jimmy Autry, senior vice president of member and community services for Flint Energies (www.flintenergies.com ); and Laurie Parker, communications specialist with Nashville Electric Service (www.nespower.com )
APOGEE is devoted to the innovation of online solutions for the energy industry. Our Annual Online Solutions Workshop is just one way we are working to share information among utilities by bringing this forum to you and we believe the ACE Awards brings deserved recognition to those individuals whose dedication is paving the way to our future in the industry.
Read the press release issued October 24, 2006
Big Screen TVs: America's Favorite Energy Hog
By: Joel S. Gilbert , P.E., CEO
TV energy use is fast on its way to become the fourth largest energy user in the American home, eclipsing the refrigerator. Heating, cooling and water heating still hold the premier ranks even with all the improvements in efficiency over the years, but the TV energy use
is rising so quickly with the advent of big screen TVs and 
their recent decline in price. As a result, the EPA, California Energy Commission, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and utilities across the country have become alarmed at the recent trends in TV energy use.
"The price of these big-screen TVs is coming down, so more and more people will soon be able to afford them," says Noah Horowitz, a senior NRDC scientist. "If we do nothing, it will lock-in power consumption at higher levels. People keep a TV five to 15 years, so we really need to get started making them as efficient as they can be."
Today there are about 266 million TVs, and that number is growing by 3.5 million per year. By 2009, when half of all new TV sales are expected to be extended- or high-definition digital sets with big screens, TV energy use will reach about 70 billion kilowatt-hours per year nationwide - about 50 percent higher than at present. Throw in a DVD and VCR player, a pair of high-definition set-top boxes, along with other household TVs, and the total TV-related energy use for the home rises to about 10 percent, the NRDC estimates.
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Bigger screens aren't the only culprits for TV’s growing energy draw. The nation's move to high-definition TV, or HDTV, requires sets to deliver more picture clarity, which draws more power. Also, Americans are watching some 16 percent more TV than in the 1980s - if DVD and video-game viewing is included, according to the Nielsen Group.
APOGEE recognized this trend last year and conducted its own survey of energy impacts on our clients. The results were as suspected. The big screen TVs were noticeably increasing kWh consumption, in part because the high-end homeowners were not just buying one or two of these devices. The problem isn't just how much these devices use, it is the sheer number appearing in the home. It is no longer unusual for there to be three big screen TVs in the home PLUS another 4-6 older ones they replaced that are now plugged into guest bedrooms, workout areas, basements, etc. APOGEE has also developed an interactive calculator to help customers see first hand the impact of their TV energy consumption. Try APOGEE's TV Energy Use Calculator I would not be surprised to see the industry start TV roundups like they did the refrigerator roundups years ago to get the old refrigerators out of the basements and garages.
Go ahead … count up the number in your home, and then count up the number that are on in each room just so you can go from room to room to listen and occasionally watch your favorite shows while you do your housework. And how many others that are now simply monitors for those video games?
For a comprehensive review of TV energy use and the energy efficiency opportunities in future designs, I recommend the book,"Televisions: Active Mode Energy Use, New Horizons for Energy Efficiency," by Peter Ostendorp, Suzanne Foster, and Chris Calwell. |
SOURCE: NATIONAL RESOUCES DEFENSE COUNCIL; SCOTT WALLACE - STAFF |
Understanding Distinctives: The Buyers Edge 
By: Everett P. Perkins, Jr., Account Executive
In today’s highly competitive world of providing products and services, it is critical to identify and articulate those things that distinguish your company in comparison with its competitors. APOGEE Interactive provides energy efficiency software solutions to utilities throughout the country and beyond. There are a number of characteristics of our online energy efficiency applications that stand out from others. The following outlines six (6) in particular.
Accuracy & Precision Engineering
APOGEE’s tools provide a very accurate representation of customer energy use. At the core of the tools is an engineering-based analysis engine. This analytical engine builds up the energy use characteristics rather than offering a general 
comparison to “some average home or business” which may not at all represent the customer’s situation or their specific energy use characteristics.
As a result, APOGEE’s tools perform a specific analysis of the customer dwelling or business. Results are provided in concise and clear terms that consider the monthly fixed and variable charges, once again not some average price proxy. Because we employ an integrated dwelling engineering analysis tool, we also consider the co-impacts of changes. For instance, in a commercial building, upgrading the lighting actually decreases the cooling costs but increases the heating costs.
Our residential model can accurately pick up the details such as declining winter blocks and increasing summer blocks. It can even model the month-by-month base charges for natural gas as demonstrated here in Georgia where the DDDC charge varies by month and proportionately to the peak winter gas use. Our tools clearly highlight these results.
Ease of Use
APOGEE has selected a straightforward single-page interface that achieves a high degree of completion with no loss in accuracy. Approximately 70% of those who find our online tools complete their session and perform multiple scenarios. APOGEE combines ease of use with accuracy because we perform the complex analyses “behind the scenes” for the customer.
Scenarios
APOGEE’s tools allow the easy evaluation of the kinds of changes customers typically want to consider. Unlimited scenarios can be considered ranging from changing the heating and cooling system design and thermostat settings, to considering high efficiency upgrades to home appliances. The customer can make a change to their base dwelling and quickly see an accurate financial impact estimate. Because of the accuracy of our tools, we provide the results in real numbers versus generic ranges.
Multiple User Interfaces
APOGEE’s online tools support multiple interfaces for use by customers, customer service representatives, and energy auditors.
Personalized Implementation
APOGEE customizes and fine-tunes our solutions for specific customer requirements and desires.
We can support a high degree of customization because we perform all our programming with in-house resources
and our analysis engines are so robust.
Client Satisfaction
APOGEE is a world-class provider of online applications to all classes of utilities, including investor-owned, cooperative, and municipal. We have the resources to meet the needs of utilities in each of these classes. APOGEE’s work does not end at product delivery. We provide ongoing training, application field testing, and marketing support. APOGEE works with our clients to develop and implement a marketing plan to highlight the availability of these tools on the utility website.
In the aggregate, APOGEE is committed to meeting the long-term needs of our customers. Among other things, we gather them together at least once a year at the Annual Online Solutions Workshop for open dialogue around changes in the industry and the resulting needs for online energy evaluation tools and resources.
