If you look at the timeline of artificial intelligence, AI is actually a fairly old science. In fact, the first neural networks were built sometime in the 1950s.
But when it comes to AI’s application in the real world, you might say that the field was treading water for more than 60 years. It wasn’t until 2012 that Stanford developed deep learning algorithms, and the adoption of AI in the marketplace began to skyrocket.
Bidgely was founded that same year in 2012 –- well before real world applications for AI exploded as they have in the past decade. And in the years since, we’ve had the time to innovate the use of AI in the energy space and to perfect our UtilityAI™ platform.
In fact, Bidgely has built the energy industry’s only true disaggregation platform. Our patented disaggregation science has continuously served as the foundation for our industry-leading data science advances and AI innovation.
Bidgely’s UtilityAI platform analyzes whole-home meter data and looks for fingerprints unique to every appliance to accurately identify which appliances are running in a home, at what time, and how many kWhs they consume. In the case of some appliances, UtilityAI dives even deeper to identify whether an appliance is inefficient or near end of life – such as an HVAC that is short cycling or having saturation problems. Or in the case of EVs, we can determine the type of charging equipment in use – i.e. level 1, 2 or 3.
Perfecting Applied AI for the Energy Sector
In the face of the tremendous pressures now facing the energy industry, true disaggregation provides the basis for a full spectrum of essential AI solutions — from customer engagement to infrastructure planning to grid resilience.
Grids are becoming more complex. Intermittent renewable energy is coming online at scale, including more behind-the-meter generation than ever before. Electric vehicles are introducing new loads, together with the near-term reality of bi-directional vehicle-to-grid energy flow.
At the same time, the number of stakeholders playing a critical role in energy supply and demand is growing and diversifying. Who is going to install solar panels? Who is willing to sell power onto the grid right now? Who is going to buy an EV? Who is going to replace an HVAC with a heat pump? Billions of choices made by hundreds of millions of people across utilities, customers, regulators, and other stakeholders will shape how energy is produced, stored, managed, and consumed. Consumers and the grid are coming together in never-before imagined ways to form a new integrated whole in which customers play a critical load-balancing role.
In this new paradigm, Bidgely has empowered utilities with applied AI tools that have been perfected over more than a decade. Using our AI-based true disaggregation as a foundation, we enable utilities to enhance customer engagement, energy efficiency and load shifting.
For example, disaggregation-based insights make it possible to identify that Customer X on Transformer Y is responsible for significantly increasing demand for energy because they have multiple EVs at home or an inefficient HVAC or pool pump. The utility is then able to target that household with a personalized offer to enroll in an EV TOU or managed charging program. Then, Bidgely’s award-winning customer engagement platform empowers utilities to achieve the level of customer participation required for meaningful load shift.
Utilities are also able to take those same behind-the-meter home energy use insights and roll them up to the transformer or feeder level to pinpoint which of their infrastructure assets are likely to see the greatest strain. This bottom-up grid view allows utilities to avoid unnecessary capital expenditure through data-informed non-wires alternatives.
In short, we have managed to bring together cutting-edge AI technology in a single platform that can target all the needs of the modern grid — the precise reason why we were recognized as a “Top 10 Applied AI Company” by Fast Company on their 2024 list of The World’s Most Innovative Companies, among other accolades.
Applied AI has been instrumental in equipping utilities to shift what has historically been a transactional, billing-based relationship with its customer base into an energy supply and demand optimization partnership.
UtilityAI, Now Amplified
When I say the words “Gen AI,” you’re likely thinking, ‘why do we need another ChatGPT?’ And more specifically, ‘Why do I need it as a utility?’
Generative AI in the energy space is much more than ChatGPT. Gen AI can help improve customer experience by making it easier and more satisfying to interact with their energy data.
Consider the impact of one of our first Gen AI tools: the Bidgely Energy Assistant.
We’ve established that load shifting now requires customers to be actively engaged in helping provide the solution. You might ask a customer to take steps to reduce stress on a particular transformer because they are one of the main contributors to the energy load on that asset. But how do you improve the likelihood that they will do their part?
Improve Customer Experience with Bidgely Energy Assistant
A customer might ask the Energy Assistant “what is happening with my energy use?” Rather than provide a generic answer, the Energy Assistant is able to leverage behind-the-meter data for that household to provide an easy-to-understand and immediate natural language answer that is specific to that customer.
The Energy Assistant can also help customers evaluate the impact of energy decisions. For example, a residential customer might ask whether it makes sense to buy an EV, or upgrade an HVAC system or insulation. The Energy Assistant can run an analysis on that household’s energy data and quickly provide meaningful personalized recommendations, such as “your HVAC performance indicates it is nearing its end of life, you should consider an upgrade” or “your heating costs are higher than similar homes in your area, you should consider new insulation.” The tool goes even further: It can run the numbers, telling a customer how much they are likely to save in a year, and what their payback period is likely to be.
Our UtilityAI platform enhanced with generative AI meets customers where they are, and provides insights and recommendations that are immediate and accessible. The result is a better customer experience, higher CSAT and improved customer engagement, enhancing utility efforts to nurture the sort of energy partnerships with their customers that are essential to our future grid.
Simplify Grid Management
Bidgely’s Grid Assistant will provide powerful new interfaces that simplify grid management by empowering grid planners to analyze behind-the-meter data more quickly, conduct scenario planning more accurately, and determine where to upgrade infrastructure with even greater precision.
Utility teams will be able to pose questions such as “how will EVs grow in our territory?” or “which of my infrastructure assets are most likely to be over capacity from EV load?” Asset managers can also extrapolate and create different scenarios to assess how particular transformers are going to respond as supply and demand evolves both geographically and over time –- all based on AI-driven behind-the-meter insights.
Similarly, Bidgely’s Grid Assistant will equip program managers with new insights. To achieve a load shift goal, for example, requires engaging the right customers, for example asking a Grid Assistant to generate a list of accounts meeting a certain set of criteria such as customers who have both EVs and solar or inefficient HVACs. The assistant then helps target every customer with best-suited programs, whether they be TOU, managed charging or an offer for a specific type of EV charger or other appliance purchase or upgrade.
In addition to improving infrastructure management and program outcomes and reducing spend, Gen AI can also positively impact utility employee experience by increasing team member efficiency and providing critical insights that enable better performance outcomes.
A Platform You Can Trust for Gen AI Innovation
Bidgely is uniquely positioned to fully unlock the value of Gen AI on behalf of our utility partners.
The quality of a Gen AI user experience depends on the accuracy of the data and insights used to train the AI. If that data is not accurate, your Gen AI will not work properly. Over more than 12 years, Bidgely has perfected the AI that transforms meter data into actionable insights. Our AI models have been trained on energy data from more than 30 million homes and businesses worldwide. Now, our UtilityAI’s Gen AI tools sit on top of that tried-and-tested AI platform.
I invite you to watch Empowering Utilities with GenAI:A Guide to Enhanced CX and Grid Management, our on-demand webinar that dives deeper into the potential use cases for Energy and Grid Assistants. Or, reach out to our team to schedule a demo and learn more about pilot opportunities.