Opower and Hawaii Energy Announce Expansion of Energy Efficiency Program

Opower

, the global leader in cloud-based software for the utility industry, and Hawaii Energy, the conservation and efficiency program for Hawaii, Honolulu and Maui counties, today announced the expansion of Opower's Energy Efficiency program to nearly 250,000 residential customers across Hawaii. The program -- which has helped customers save over $5 million on their energy bills to date -- will now be available to approximately 110,000 additional participants across the state. "We are excited to expand the Home Energy Report program to more residents in Hawaii, Honolulu and Maui counties," said Ray Starling, Hawaii Energy Program Director. "Battling one of the nation's highest costs of living, Hawaii Energy's priority continues to be to empower residents with personalized energy information so we can each take action to decrease electric usage and bills. By working together, we can also reduce our state's dependence on imported oil to generate electricity." Opower's Energy Efficiency program includes Home Energy Reports (HERs) that pair behavioral science with big data analytics to provide residents with information on their energy usage and empower them to track their energy consumption over time. Customers also have the ability to compare their usage to similar homes and create personalized energy-saving plans. Hawaii Energy first collaborated with Opower in 2011 and has steadily expanded the HER program since then. To date, the program is estimated to have helped residents save 18.1 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity, totaling approximately $5.43 million in energy costs. "The success and rapid growth of Hawaii Energy's program is a perfect example of how conservation and efficiency programs can work with utilities to leverage technology that empowers customers with actionable information so they can make smarter energy decisions," said Dan Yates, Opower co-founder and CEO. "As Hawaii's program continues to expand, we look forward to seeing increased levels of energy conservation that not only yield significant savings for consumers, but also benefit Hawaii's environment."