OPOWER gets a visit from OBAMA, OYEAH!

Mar 20, 2010 by Monica Danna    3 Comments    Posted under: Politics, technology

A few weeks ago, a client of mine was visited by the big guy. (No, not Jesus. Easter is well over 2 weeks away. I should know, I haven’t had alcohol since Fat Tuesday. I’m counting.)

Last year I did some consulting work with  OPOWER, an Washington DC-based energy efficiency software company that helps utilities meet their efficiency goals through effective customer engagement. Formerly Positive Energy, I helped OPOWER with a full rebranding, new logo, new website, and social media program.

Think about viewing your energy bill like you view your cell phone bill. Getting information on various inputs of your usage. Which appliances are using more energy, what time of day? How much could you save if you were to replace an old appliance? What side of your house is higher on energy usage.   All of these variables are determined by information inputs from Smart Grids, which deliver electricity from suppliers to consumers using two-way digital technology.

However, OPOWER’s game-changing approach to changing consumer energy usage is based on behavioral studies and how social norms affect change.  Study after study, research shows that, by far, the factor that impacts behavior change in energy consumption is social approval or disapproval. More simply put, consumers who are told that they are using more energy than their neighbors, are more likely to reduce usage. Each OPOWER energy report scores a household in comparison to the neighborhood average, in the form of a smiley face, or frown face.

The Arlington, VA company has quickly become the leader in their technology field, and continues to successfully grow at a rapid rate, the reason for President Obama’s visit a few weeks ago.

After Obama’s visit, we received the following email from the company founders:

“Friends and Partners, Wow! We’re still pinching ourselves from the honor of having hosted President Obama at our office on Friday. He spent a half hour with us, touring the office and meeting our staff, and then held a press conference on creating jobs in the clean energy economy. For everyone here it was a lifetime highlight, and we’re thrilled to share our excitement with all of you without whom our work — and the President’s visit — would not have been possible. We’ve pasted highlights of the President’s speech below, and for those inclined, there are links to videos of his visit and photos as well.”

Links to videos and photos:

• Whitehouse Official Video: http://bit.ly/WhiteHouseOfficialVideoOPOWER
• C-SPAN video includes tour of the office: http://bit.ly/C-SPAN_OPOWER_Video
• Reuters and Associated Press Photos: http://bit.ly/Reuters_and_Associated_Press_Photos
• OPOWER’s Photos: http://bit.ly/OPOWER_President_Obama_Photos
• Alex’s follow up interview on Bloomberg Television: http://bit.ly/OPOWER_Bloomberg_Interview

Excerpts from President Obama’s speech at OPOWER’s headquarters:

“It is great to be here at OPOWER. And just looking around, this looks like a fun place to work. The work you do here, as we just heard, is making homes more energy efficient, it’s saving people money, it’s generating jobs and it’s putting America on the path to a clean energy future.”

“We know that there have been success stories all across America. OPOWER is one of those success stories. This is a company that works with utilities to help folks understand their energy costs and how they can save money on their energy bills. And for the folks in the press that weren’t able to hear, this board testifies to the number of kilowatt hours that have been saved, the amount of money that’s gone back into consumers’ pockets, and the amount of carbon that has been taken out of the atmosphere as a consequence of the great work that these people here at OPOWER are doing. Now part of the reason, I suspect, you’re growing, is that you’re doing your jobs well. But I also know that a big part of the reason is that you’re seizing the opportunities of the future. The jobs of tomorrow will be jobs in the clean energy sector, and this company is a great emblem for that.”

Congrats, OPOWER. Keep up the awesome work!

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