Do you know what Opower is? Yea. I didn't either.
Every other month for the past 18 months or so, we get this letter from American Electric Power telling us how we're using too much electricity. The first one I mostly ignored. The second one, however, I had to see what it was. So I called AEP to inquire why we were getting these mailings. That was a funny 20-minute conversation that ended with me saying: "this is the only company I know of that doesn't want to sell it's product." The only thing I knew when I hung up was that AEP didn't want us to actually use any electricity.
I still don't have the answer to that mystery but after doing a little bit of digging, I found out why the conversation I had with the lady who works for AEP was so funny. She didn't have a clue what I was talking about. She knew the letters were sent and a basic overview of what they were, but she couldn't answer the questions that came from my paranoid persona such as, What does AEP care how much electricity we use if we pay our bill every month? Are they trying to say that if we don't slow our usage as a collective, there's going to be blackouts? She babbled something about our carbon footprint and I told her I preferred to employ coalminers. I don't think she got the reference.
AEP doesn't generate the letters. The letters are generated by Opower. I don't know who actually mails them and I don't think it really matters, but the graphs and charts are made by a relatively new company - Opower.
So, what is Opower? Basically, Opower is an international computer programing company. They design and run the software that gathers data from a utility company, evaluates customer usage, and generates reports which are sent to 'encourage' consumers to use less energy by shaming them into thinking their neighbors are more energy efficient than they are. They are also looking to convince utility companies to develop websites that encourage their customers to interact with energy management tools. I didn't look but I bet there's an app for that.
I don't know about you, but this garbage sends shivers down my spine. It doesn't stop with an every other month mailing. They worship smart meters of course and the more of those there are, the better they can manipulate the data.
They also want to convince the utility companies to text you part way through your billing cycle if you are on track to use more energy than normal. I suppose the reverse might also apply. You get a smiley face text when you come in under your monthly allotment. Yes. A smiley face.
The logo for this company is a smiley face. And the one on their website winks at you when you hover over it. Creepy.
This whole company seems rather juvenile. I don't know. They really only manage to piss me off to the nth degree. They put a smiley face on your evaluation for cryin' out loud. Anyway, as you peruse their website and you get to the careers page, you'll see all the perks. And there are a ton. Great! It's a private company. Coffee bar, kitchen, free lunch, farm-fresh milk, ping pong, scooters, among other things. I wonder when nap time is? And can't forget the annual mustache contest called Viva Cinco de Moustache. Yea, it's in May. I'm not sure exactly how many of their employees might be old enough to actually grow a mustache or if they can paste one on.... Of course, they might eat the paste.
Find the "Meet the Team" link at the bottom and you'll find a bunch of black and white's of the employees. Hover. It's cute. If you're running a daycare center. Maybe it's me.
Go to the Ometer link. This is where they make their claims about the amount of energy being saved because of their program. (Be sure to click on the arrows) Maybe it's true, maybe it isn't.
We've taken more than 90,000 homes "off the grid" so far.
We've effectively added more than 6,000 acres of rainforest (which could sequester as much CO2 as we've abated)
We've created 790 jobs (not counting the 230 people working at Opower)
You could drive a Chevy Volt around the world more than 160,000 times on our current energy savings
Their argument is that by sending the consumer this information, the consumer then takes steps to reduce their energy consumption because their neighbor is using less and we have to keep up with the Jones' after all.
Sure. In our household, we are using less electricity. But it has nothing to do with getting those stupid letters. They of course are going to take credit for it.
Let's start by examining the latest letter we received.
On the back are energy saving tips. I so love these. This months' tips include:
Hang laundry to dry. Did you know that reduces wear and tear on clothes? That's what they said. I happen to know for a fact that is false. If you have ever been poor enough or old enough to hang laundry on a clothes line in the back yard, you know that the sun deteriorates fibers much quicker than any clothes dryer. Nevermind the fact that it is quite labor intensive.
Use fans instead of AC. Do you know how much electricity fans use? And you're gonna need more than one.
Use and switch off power strips. Plug all the devices around your tv into a power strip, then switch the strip off when you're not watching tv. I pay extra for the dvr thing. If there's no power to it, it doesn't record anything. I watch nothing live. Even the news gets recorded. That way I can skip through commercials. Our dvr is either recording or playing back more than it isn't.
On the front, our graphs show that we are not keeping up with the Jones' very well. We're doing better than "similar homes" but this 2-months we used 70% more than "Efficient Similar Homes". Let's define those. Efficient Similar Homes are the most efficient 20% of similar homes. Similar Homes are approximately 100 occupied apartments or condos that have electric heat and are either in the same building or nearby (avg 5.4 miles away).
Since only a few will recognize just how funny this is, I'll explain. We live in the biggest freakin' condo. Most people call it a house. Just the two of us live here at this address. There are no other apartments. The other buildings are called barns. There are quite a few residents but they all have four legs. Also, I know that there is not a single apartment building or condo within 5.4 miles of us. So our consumption on a farm is being compared to the consumption of those who live in apartments and condos. Sounds like maybe these guys went to Harvard or something.
I assume AEP is paying Opower. But at least some of the reports that Opower is generating is extremely inaccurate. Does AEP care that the reports are b.s.? Usually, private companies are very diligent with accuracy doing that which they were hired to do. At least that was always the goal of any business I've been involved in. Unless they're doing government work. We'll have to have a look at that.
Back to why we are using less electricity. Electric rates have been increasing by double digits each year over the last few years. This past January, they were due to spike and they did by 45% or more in some cases. Last summer, we decided to go back to burning wood. Quite a few of our friends made the same decision. So the real result? Electricity consumption went down and wood consumption went up. Trees were cut down, sawed up, and tossed in wood burners where they made smoke. Probably a lot more smoke collectively than the electricity generating plants that use coal but hey, we used less electricity. Met the goal. That's what matters and we solved the problem they're claiming we have. Didn't we?
