This document will continue to evolve as existing sections change and new information is added. All updates appear in the following table:
| Date | Feature | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 26 MAR 2020 | Created initial document. |
Oracle Utilities Opower provides a range of data-driven solutions, software products, and personalized insights to utility customers about their energy use.
This guide outlines the information you need to know about new or improved functionality in this update, and describes any tasks you might need to perform for the update. Each section includes a brief description of the feature, the steps you need to take to enable or begin using the feature, any tips or considerations that you should keep in mind, and the resources available to help you.
Column Definitions:
Features Delivered Enabled
Report = New or modified, Oracle-delivered, ready to run reports.
UI or Process-Based: Small Scale = These UI or process-based features are typically comprised of minor field, validation, or program changes. Therefore, the potential impact to users is minimal.
UI or Process-Based: Larger Scale* = These UI or process-based features have more complex designs. Therefore, the potential impact to users is higher.
Features Delivered Disabled = Action is needed BEFORE these features can be used by END USERS. These features are delivered disabled and you choose if and when to enable them. For example, a) new or expanded BI subject areas need to first be incorporated into reports, b) Integration is required to utilize new web services, or c) features must be assigned to user roles before they can be accessed.
| Ready for Use by End Users Reports plus Small Scale UI or Process-Based new features will have minimal user impact after an update. Therefore, customer acceptance testing should focus on the Larger Scale UI or Process-Based* new features. |
Action is Needed BEFORE Use by End Users Not disruptive as action is required to make these features ready to use. As you selectively choose to leverage, you set your test and roll out timing. |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feature |
Report |
UI or |
UI or |
|
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Solar Web Features in Digital Self Service - Energy Management |
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The Social Sharing module appears on Behavioral Demand Response pre-event and post-event communications, and helps drive social media presence around peak events. The module encourages the customer to share information about their event on social media and provides them with a button that allows them to share event information directly on Twitter. The pre-event module text is auto-populated to remind customers about the upcoming event, while the post-event module shares how the customer performed during the event. The text can be configured to ensure that it matches existing communications.
Steps to Enable
Contact your Service Delivery Manager to coordinate configuration of the module.
To contact your Service Delivery Manager:
- Log in to Inside Opower (https://inside.opower.com). This is your portal for questions and information related to your program.
- Go to the Community tab and contact the Service Delivery Manager using the information provided
Key Resources
- Refer to the Behavioral Demand Response documentation.
Digital Self Service - Energy Management
The Next Best Action widget displays a series of recommended actions to the customers, as defined by the utility. It supports multiple banners on the same page, as well as the use of static informational banners to highlight key recommendations. Start and end dates can be applied to seasonal banners to ensure that they only appear when seasonally appropriate. This widget can also be embedded on utility websites.
Steps to Enable
Contact your Service Delivery Manager to coordinate configuration of the module.
To contact your Service Delivery Manager:
- Log in to Inside Opower (https://inside.opower.com). This is your portal for questions and information related to your program.
- Go to the Community tab and contact the Service Delivery Manager using the information provided.
Key Resources
- Refer to the Digital Self Service - Energy Management documentation.
Distributed Energy Resources Customer Engagement
As utility customers become active participants in the energy grid, generating and storing their own energy, their energy management needs are becoming more complex. The Solar Update Notifications feature provides outbound communications that are designed to onboard new solar customers, offering insights that help them manage solar billing and get the most out of their solar program.
Solar Update Notifications are a series of six email communications that help walk new solar customers through their first year. These messages provide timely information and instructions that help customers understand their solar bills and acclimate to the solar experience. The messaging encourages solar customers to take additional energy-saving steps by providing them with tips that will help them boost their savings while on a solar program. The messages also help to set realistic expectations for solar customers, and provide them with resources to further educate themselves about their solar experience.
Solar customers receive the following email communications, in this order:
- Welcome to Solar
- Understand Your First Solar Bill
- How's Your Solar Data Trending?
- Was Going Solar the Right Decision?
- Build Your Solar Expertise
- Your First Solar Year In Review
Together, Solar Update Notifications and Solar Web Features make up the new Distributed Energy Resources Customer Engagement Cloud Service, in conjunction with the Digital Self Service - Energy Management Cloud Service. By promoting solar programs, educating solar customers, and enabling them to easily answer their own questions, utilities can significantly decrease the costs associated with supporting customers using distributed energy resources, while increasing customer engagement and satisfaction.
Steps to Enable
Contact your Service Delivery Manager to coordinate configuration of the notifications.
To contact your Service Delivery Manager:
- Log in to Inside Opower (https://inside.opower.com). This is your portal for questions and information related to your program.
- Go to the Community tab and contact the Service Delivery Manager using the information provided.
Key Resources
- Refer to the Distributed Energy Resources Customer Engagement documentation.
Solar Web Features in Digital Self Service - Energy Management
The Distributed Energy Resources Customer Engagement Cloud Service provides solar insights in the following Digital Self Service widgets:
- Data Browser
- Bill Comparison
- Bill Forecast
Solar customers who navigate to the Electricity View in the Digital Self Service - Energy Management Data Browser can view information about their solar program. Solar features provide detailed solar information in a simplified manner that customers can easily understand. Solar customers are shown how to properly read their positive and negative consumption data, and how to interpret complex solar bills. The following solar features are available on the Data Browser page:
- Solar Welcome Experience
- Monthly Billing Feature
- Solar Savings Insight
The Bill Comparison tool allows customers to compare their last bill to their previous bill, or to the corresponding bill from the same time period the previous year. Comparing bills is a useful way for customers to track their energy use and identify possible causes for an increase or decrease in their bill. Within the standard Bill Comparison experience, solar customers see messaging and information specific to solar billing and production.
The messages provide acknowledgment that the customer's electricity account is connected to a solar account. The information also helps to educate customers about solar billing, easily directing them to relevant information, such as the solar features on the Data Browser page, when they access the Bill Comparison tool.
Solar customers who navigate to the Bill Forecast tool in the Digital Self Service - Energy Management Web Portal can view information about their projected bill. The Bill Forecast shows customers the standard information about their bill, which includes:
- Current usage or cost so far in the billing period.
- Projected usage or cost for the billing period.
- How that compares to their typical usage or cost for the period, based on their past usage.
The purpose of this feature is to inform customers before the end of the billing cycle if they are likely to have high usage or cost compared to the same time period from the previous year. Customers can then take action to reduce their consumption before the billing period ends.
Together, Solar Update Notifications and Solar Web Features make up the new Distributed Energy Resources Customer Engagement Cloud Service, in conjunction with the Digital Self Service - Energy Management Cloud Service. By promoting solar programs, educating solar customers, and enabling them to easily answer their own questions, utilities can significantly decrease the costs associated with supporting customers using distributed energy resources, while increasing customer engagement and satisfaction.
Steps to Enable
Contact your Service Delivery Manager to coordinate configuration of the widgets.
To contact your Service Delivery Manager:
- Log in to Inside Opower (https://inside.opower.com). This is your portal for questions and information related to your program.
- Go to the Community tab and contact the Service Delivery Manager using the information provided.
Key Resources
- Refer to the Distributed Energy Resources Customer Engagement documentation.
The following updates apply to Home Energy Reports that are delivered by email.
Time of Use insights are available for Email Home Energy Report customers who are on an electric Time of Use rate plan. The insights appear as part of the Time Of Use Daily Peak module. This module educates customers on how their Time of Use rate plan works and nudges them to shift their usage to off-peak hours. Customers can visualize how their on-peak and off-peak usage compares through an hourly breakdown of their average use. As part of this feature, customers receive personalized load shaping tips about reducing electricity consumption during peak hours and shifting usage to off-peak hours within the report tips module.
Steps to Enable
Contact your Service Delivery Manager to coordinate configuration of the module.
To contact your Service Delivery Manager:
- Log in to Inside Opower (https://inside.opower.com). This is your portal for questions and information related to your program.
- Go to the Community tab and contact the Service Delivery Manager using the information provided.
Key Resources
- Refer to the Opower Energy Efficiency documentation.
Electric Vehicle Confirmation Module
The electric vehicle confirmation module makes it possible to collect electric vehicle data from customers through the Email Home Energy Report. The module prompts the customer to respond to a question about whether they charge an electric vehicle at home. The data gathered with a few simple clicks improves customer experience by making detection insights more visible and relevant to customers. This module offers two variants for flexibility based on desired tone and targeting.
Steps to Enable
Contact your Service Delivery Manager to coordinate configuration of the module.
To contact your Service Delivery Manager:
- Log in to Inside Opower (https://inside.opower.com). This is your portal for questions and information related to your program.
- Go to the Community tab and contact the Service Delivery Manager using the information provided.
Key Resources
- Refer to the Opower Energy Efficiency documentation.
The advanced disaggregation capabilities provided by Oracle Utilities Opower make it possible to provide electric vehicle customers with report editions that are tailored to their customer experience. The electric vehicle edition of the Email Home Energy Report provides personalized insights about the impact of electric vehicle charging on their overall use. The reports were designed and tested with customers to ensure they feel fair, trustworthy, and actionable.
Steps to Enable
Contact your Service Delivery Manager to coordinate configuration of the module.
To contact your Service Delivery Manager:
- Log in to Inside Opower (https://inside.opower.com). This is your portal for questions and information related to your program.
- Go to the Community tab and contact the Service Delivery Manager using the information provided.
Key Resources
- Refer to the Opower Energy Efficiency documentation.
The following updates apply to paper Home Energy Reports that are delivered by mail.
Time of Use insights are available for printed Home Energy Report customers who are on an electric Time of Use rate plan. The insights appear as part of the Time Of Use Daily Peak module. This module educates customers on how their Time of Use rate plan works and nudges them to shift their usage to off-peak hours. Customers can visualize how their on-peak and off-peak usage compares through an hourly breakdown of their average use. As part of this feature, customers receive personalized load shaping tips about reducing electricity consumption during peak hours and shifting usage to-off peak hours within the report tips module.
Steps to Enable
Contact your Service Delivery Manager to coordinate configuration of the module.
To contact your Service Delivery Manager:
- Log in to Inside Opower (https://inside.opower.com). This is your portal for questions and information related to your program.
- Go to the Community tab and contact the Service Delivery Manager using the information provided.
Key Resources
- Refer to the Opower Energy Efficiency documentation.
The advanced disaggregation capabilities provided by Oracle Utilities Opower make it possible to provide electric vehicle customers with report editions that are tailored to their customer experience. The electric vehicle edition of the paper Home Energy Report provides personalized insights about the impact of electric vehicle charging on their overall use. The reports were designed and tested with customers to ensure they feel fair, trustworthy, and actionable.
Steps to Enable
Contact your Service Delivery Manager to coordinate configuration of the module.
To contact your Service Delivery Manager:
- Log in to Inside Opower (https://inside.opower.com). This is your portal for questions and information related to your program.
- Go to the Community tab and contact the Service Delivery Manager using the information provided.
Key Resources
- Refer to the Opower Energy Efficiency documentation.
The following updates are applicable to multiple products across the platform.
Electric Vehicle Tip Targeting
Customer responses to electric vehicle questions in the Home Energy Analysis are now used to improve tip relevancy. Incorporating electric vehicle data in tip targeting impacts the frequency with which customers receive electric vehicle tips and prevents customers from receiving tips that are not relevant to their unique experience. For example, an electric vehicle customer who indicates that they typically drive longer distances is more likely to receive an electric vehicle tip. An electric vehicle customer that confirms that they already own a Level 2 charger will not receive a tip recommending that they buy a Level 2 charger.
Steps to Enable
You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.
Targeting Methodology Update for HVAC Tips
The tip targeting methodology for central HVAC systems was improved to better address the needs of customers who receive their heating and cooling services from different utilities. Previously, these customers received tips about central AC vents and thermostat adjustments that may not have been relevant to their heating and cooling experiences. These customers now receive tips about central heating or cooling based on their HVAC system.
Steps to Enable
You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.
Utility-Branded Illustrations for Email Modules
Email tip modules were improved to use the same utility-branded illustrations available for paper and web tip modules. This change makes tip images consistent between email, print, and web communications (such as the Ways to Save module) and creates a more cohesive user experience for customers.
Steps to Enable
You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.