This document will continue to evolve as existing sections change and new information is added. All updates appear in the following table:
| Date | Product | Feature | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 JUL 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 |
|
||
Electric Vehicle Experience for the Neighbor Comparison Widget |
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Visual Design Refresh for Bill Forecast, Highest Day of Use, and Home Energy Analysis |
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Electric Vehicle Charger Type Module for Email Home Energy Reports |
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Digital Self Service - Energy Management
Contact Details Added to the Preference Menu
The Contact Names option within the Preferences menu of Digital Self Service - Energy Management was updated to include contact details. This update allows utilities to record additional information (for example, email address and phone number) for each contact. The Preferences menu is used to subscribe recipients to communications. This feature reduces ambiguity around customer selection in situations where multiple contacts share the same name.
Steps to Enable
You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.
Electric Vehicle Experience for the Neighbor Comparison Widget
The Neighbor Comparison web widget was updated to include personalized insights about the impact of electric vehicle charging on their overall energy use for customers who receive the Electric Vehicle Edition experience. Previously, the Neighbor Comparison widget did not include insights tailored to electric vehicle customers. This update improves the customer experience by ensuring that the neighbor comparison is consistent across email, paper, and web experiences for customers who receive the Electric Vehicle Edition.
Steps to Enable
Contact your Service Delivery Manager to coordinate configuration of the module.
To contact your Service Delivery Manager:
- Log in to 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.
Modified Tooltip for Usage and Cost Charts in Data Browser
The tooltip that appears in the Costs and Usage charts of Data Browser was updated to only include data from the relevant chart. Previously, the tooltip included both cost and usage information. Now the tooltip in the Cost chart will not include usage information, and the tooltip in the Usage chart will not include cost information. This update improves the customer experience by reducing the chance of customer confusion, especially when the cost value might correspond to costs beyond kWh usage costs. This update reduces customer confusion, especially when the cost value includes costs beyond kWh usage costs. When the Combined (gas and electricity) chart is enabled, the tooltip displays gas and electricity values separately, and also shows high/low/average temperature data.
Steps to Enable
You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.
Non-Usage Charges in Bill Comparison
Bill Comparison can compare charges not directly related to energy consumption between a customer's bills, such as taxes, flat fees, and adjustments. These charges are often overlooked by customers when trying to understand their bill. Displaying them allows a customer to further understand differences between their bills, resulting in increased customer satisfaction and possibly reduce call volumes. Full bill data from the utility and additional configuration are required to implement this feature.
Steps to Enable
Contact your Service Delivery Manager to coordinate configuration of the module.
To contact your Service Delivery Manager:
- Log in to 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.
Visual Design Refresh for Bill Forecast, Highest Day of Use, and Home Energy Analysis
The Bill Forecast, Highest Day of Use, and Home Energy Analysis were visually redesigned as part of a broader initiative to create a more cohesive experience across Digital Self Service - Energy Management, and to provide a foundation for improved utility theming support. The look of some of the widget components were updated to be more consistent within the each widget and across Digital Self Service - Energy Management widgets as a whole. The widgets also consistently support borders and titles, and allow the background color of the page to show through for embedded widgets. Additional update highlights include:
- Bill Forecast: The content was reorganized to make it more consistent with other modules, including bringing the qualitative icon next to the main insight.
- Highest Day of Use: The main insight was bolded to emphasize which day has the highest use.
- Home Energy Analysis: The main insight and call-to-action button were moved to the top of the widget to emphasize which information is most important and what action the customer should take next.
Steps to Enable
You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.
The following updates apply to Home Energy Reports that are delivered by email.
Electric Vehicle Charger Type Module for Email Home Energy Reports
The Electric Vehicle Charger Type module identifies customers who are eligible to receive the Electric Vehicle Home Energy Report experience. The module asks electric vehicle customers currently enrolled in an Email Home Energy Report program to provide data about their electric vehicle charger type. Customers who respond that they have a level 2 charger are eligible to receive an Electric Vehicle Edition Home Energy Report instead of the standard Home Energy Report. This module makes it easier for utilities to identify eligible electric vehicle customers and ensure that customers receive the report experience best suited to their unique needs.
Steps to Enable
Contact your Service Delivery Manager to coordinate configuration of the module.
To contact your Service Delivery Manager:
- Log in to 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.
The following updates are applicable to multiple products across the platform.
Program Participation Data in Data Exploration
Program participation data is available to utilities in Data Exploration where they can use the program participation measure to create custom reports. This information can provide the utility with insights into relationship between their own energy efficiency programs (such as rebate programs) and their Oracle Utilities Opower Energy efficiency programs.
Steps to Enable
You don't need to do anything to enable this feature.
Voice Channel Support for the Tips API
The Tips API can return digital assistant-specific responses for use in digital assistants and smart speakers. When the API is called, tips relevant for that customer are returned along with a voice response to play. The words and phrases used in these tips have been reviewed to ensure the tips are clear and accurate when heard through smart speakers. Once a customer has heard a tip, they will not encounter that tip again until they have listened to all relevant voice tips. This feature requires a smart speaker application to call the API.
Steps to Enable
Refer to the Oracle Utilities REST API for Digital Self Service Energy Management documentation to enable this feature.