This time of year always brings the highest heating consumption in North America and Europe, with temperatures dipping to their coldest levels. This winter, heating consumption is being further exacerbated by the fact that many families around the world are spending virtually all of their time at home, working and Read more…
According to the Smart Electric Power Alliance’s Utility Carbon Reduction Tracker, which tracks all publicly announced utility commitments to emission reduction, 69 utilities across the United States have publicly stated carbon or emission reduction goals and 39 utilities have set goals of carbon-free or net-zero emissions by 2050. These targets Read more…
Globally, energy customers indicate that receiving personalized messages to support their savings efforts is the top incentive for staying with their current supplier. While this is more significant in competitive energy markets (e.g., Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and select North American markets), it’s an important lesson for all markets about Read more…
Putting the Utility at the Center of the Consumers’ Shopping Experience Ecommerce is having an unprecedented year in 2020. Through the first nine months of the year, U.S. consumers spent nearly $550 billion with online retailers, representing ~33 percent year-over-year growth before the fourth quarter had even begun. Ecommerce has Read more…
As we enter 2021, we find ourselves in the middle of an energy transition that is transforming the way electricity is generated, stored and consumed, with power systems moving from fossil-fuel-based centralized single-flow electric grids to renewable bi-directional and decentralized energy networks. In the United States, even in the absence Read more…
Together, We’re #FutureReady 2020 wasn’t the year anyone expected, but in many ways it was a year that our customers have been preparing for all along. Utilities worldwide have invested in building a solid AI-powered foundation to enable a deeper understanding of their customers so that they can anticipate their Read more…
As VP of AI for Target Corporation, Ashwin Rao describes his mandate as identifying the ideal problems to solve with AI and developing the algorithms to do so accurately and efficiently. With that in mind, he says the operational challenges best-suited for an AI solution in the retail segment also Read more…
Customer engagement driven by utilities is experiencing renewed momentum in Europe as Covid-19 has resulted in many citizens occupying their homes for significantly more hours of the day. As the northern hemisphere heads toward winter and cold weather drives up gas and electricity consumption for heating, timely and highly personalized Read more…
The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) published its latest primer on Artificial Intelligence for Natural Gas Utilities this week, highlighting the value of AI applications to solve the biggest challenges faced by the gas industry, including those related to customer engagement and programs. The primer asserts that, “by Read more…
When it comes to achieving the full range of #FutureReady goals — from decarbonization to diversification and more — utilities must first establish a solid base of customer engagement, satisfaction and trust. This means empowering people with the right tools to take action using the most efficient means, and offering Read more…