Hat Trick: Strategies for Customer Outreach, Acquisition, and Load Shift

Consumers Energy and Uplight collaborate to achieve significant customer acquisitions and load shift through segmentation, propensity models, market outreach, social media, and customer assistance. (April 2020)

FAQ

Date: April 2020

As Consumers Energy switched to TOU rates in 2020, it explored ways to engage customers while still meeting aggressive DR, EE, and TOU goals by working with Uplight on a smart thermostat Demand Response program.

Customer acquisitions began in Spring 2019 and this short timeframe has compelled the utility to develop creative customer targeting strategies. As a result, Consumers Energy achieved 2.5 times the expected load shift during DR events, compared to a similar program in Michigan. Additionally, its goals were achieved in just one weekend, laying the foundation to reach 100,000 customers by 2022.

During this session, Consumers Energy and Uplight provide a program overview, focusing on the strategies they’re deploying to successfully bring customers into the fold. The session includes in-depth information about implementing segmentation strategies, deploying propensity models, streamlining marketplace outreach, results of direct install vs BYOD, how to use social marketing, and helping customers with technical issues.

Speakers:
Shannon Morrow, Consumers Energy 
Donald McPhail, Uplight

Note: Recording begins at 0:22.