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Opower Launches First Behavioral Demand Response ProgramARLINGTON, VA, Sep 11, 2013 (Marketwired via COMTEX) -- Opower, the global leader in customer engagement solutions for the utility industry, today announced the availability of its new Behavioral Demand Response (BDR) solution. Opower BDR enables utilities to cost-effectively engage all residential customers in demand response (DR) programs. Unlike traditional demand response programs that rely on devices in customers' homes, Opower BDR allows utilities to quickly deploy a cost-effective demand response capability across their entire residential customer base. Opower BDR leverages AMI data to deliver personalized insights to each customer through their communication channel of choice, and motivates them to reduce usage during times of peak power demand, such as hot days when air conditioner use is high. "Opower's major investments in behavioral design and our big data platform are well established within the energy efficiency market," said Roderick Morris, SVP of Marketing and Operations at Opower. "These latest enhancements to our platform take Opower's revolutionary SaaS-based engagement approach to the demand response market, where we look forward to assisting utility partners around the world." Managing electricity usage at peak times is an increasingly important tool for utilities to balance grid operations, lower energy prices for consumers, and enable the integration of renewable resources like solar. A report by the Brattle Group indicates that if utilities could help customers lower their usage by 5% during the top 80-100 hours over the course of the year, it would result in $3 Billion in annual savings in the U.S. alone. However, utilities have long struggled to engage residential customers in demand response programs -- with less than 5% of U.S. homes currently enrolled in a utility program. A report by FERC indicates that two of the top barriers to adoption are the lack of customer awareness and the need to deploy expensive devices into the home. Opower BDR enables utilities to maximize peak reduction results by delivering customers dynamic, personalized content in a timely fashion. Through the course of the first deployment, Opower will deliver 40 million pre- and post-event communications. More importantly, Opower BDR allows each utility to test hundreds of combinations of content and channel across key customer segments, optimizing communications to improve savings impact over time. All communications will be delivered to customers in near real-time in order to maximize awareness and motivation. Opower BDR enables utilities to meet multiple objectives. Utilities can deploy BDR as a standalone solution to deliver cost-effective demand response at scale without devices or couple the solution with existing direct load control programs to increase customer participation. Utilities can also use the solution to improve the performance of existing dynamic pricing programs. Opower is developing a series of utility solutions that leverage the Opower 4 platform to drive greater customer engagement and participation, and change the way that utilities communicate with their customers. Opower plans to announce additional features and utility partnerships later this year. About Opower Working with 85 utility partners and serving more than 18 million consumers across seven countries, Opower is the world's leading provider of customer engagement solutions for the utility industry. By providing the tools, information and incentives consumers need to make smarter decisions about their energy use, Opower's engagement platform and solution suite, Opower 4, enables utilities to involve their customers in programs that support energy efficiency goals, smart grid and new rate structures, brand loyalty and lowering the cost of service. Proven to drive behavioral change at scale, Opower has helped its utility partners achieve more than 2.7 TWhs in energy savings, and drives significant increases in customer program participation and overall customer satisfaction. Founded in 2007 and privately held, Opower is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices in San Francisco, London and Singapore. For more information, please visit www.opower.com and follow us on Twitter at @Opower. Contact Carly Llewellyn Email Contact SOURCE: Opower |