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Viewing report
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Electronic Home Energy Audits: Cost-Effective Content for Utility Web Sites
E SOURCE, July 2002, Pages: 11
A number of utilities are offering their customers personalized energy-efficiency advice through electronic home energy audits. Some of those offerings have achieved significant customer adoption rates. An electronic home energy audit is a cost-effective, content-rich Web application that utilities are using, with some success, to reach out to residential customers at a time when energy costs and public disaffection are running high. This information-based service supports both utility customer care and energy conservation objectives.
Among todays cost-conscious utility providers, the lower cost of an online audit as compared with a traditional on-site audit is a primary driver for them to offer electronic audits, despite low consumer traffic to utility Web sites. In part, thats because an electronic audit gives the utility a chance to provide trusted, personalized, one-to-one information. The online audit can be an integral part of utilities efforts to construct relevant Web offerings for their residential customers.
Online audits will probably never appeal to a wide segment of residential customers, but participation rates can certainly be improved. Utilities should focus on (1) boosting registration rates by making more use of Internet marketing tactics and (2) increasing completion rates by working closely with vendors to improve the usability and functionality of their online audits.
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