Sharyn Barata

1
Statewide Home Energy Efficiency Survey Program
-Presentation to CALMAC-October 17, 2007
Big empty box in white font

• Presented by
• Sharyn Barata
• Vice President - Marketing
• Opinion Dynamics Corp.

2
Overview of Program
Statewide HEES

• Started as several separate, independent programs
  
• Some well-established program components (SCE
  mail) and some very new (PGEs in-home program
  started Jan 2005)
• Added the in-home delivery mechanism to the
  statewide program in 2004-2005

3
Original HEES Eval Objectives

• Conduct a process evaluation
• Test program assumptions
• Customers lack complete e-e knowledge
• HEES fills the knowledge gap
• Knowledge engenders action
• HEES plays a substantial, unique informational
  role

4
HEES Process Methodology

• In-depth interviews with administrators and
  review of materials
• Program theory/metric workshop
• General population survey
• Review databases/verify number of audits
  completed by each IOU/Cross HEES databases with
  other CA program databases
• Conduct satisfaction survey

5
HEES Process Methodology Cont

• Conduct adoption survey with 2004/5 participants
• Conduct follow-up interviews with participants in
  both HEES and another impact program (based on
  database crossing)
• In all 5000 surveys were conducted as part of
  this effort

6
Program Structure and Delivery

• Versions of HEES

Mail Online In-Home
PGE Kema-Xenergy Nexus Kema-Xenergy 2
SCE Kema-Xenergy Kema-Xenergy CSG 3
SDGE Kema-Xenergy Enercom CSG 3
SoCalGas Kema-Xenergy Enercom Sempra 3
1 3 3
7
Program Structure and Delivery

• Direct Costs Per Unit Vary Greatly by Delivery
  Mechanism, Channel, Utility and Vendor

Mail Online In-Home
PGE Kema-Xenergy (25.00) Nexus (20.00) Kema-Xenergy (60.00)
SCE Kema-Xenergy (12.30) Kema-Xenergy (11.32) CSG (81.81)
SoCalGas Kema-Xenergy (22.56) Enercom (not provided) CSG (41.91)
SDGE Kema-Xenergy (not provided) Enercom (not provided) Sempra/SDGE (35.00 for HTR)
8
Program Structure and Delivery

• Recommendations made to customers
• 235 unique recommendations (some similar)
• 110 characterizations (when grouped)
• 16 types or measures/end uses covered
• Approximately split between measures (which
  require equipment) and practices (behavioral)
• Median number of recommendations per channel
  range from 3 to 16 (overall mean 7 recs/house)

9
Program Structure and Delivery
Top recommendations to customers

• Use compact fluorescent bulbs (71 receive rec.)
• Seal air leaks and install weatherstripping (67)
• Have ducts tested/sealed, clean or replace ac
  filters, shade windows and avoid using appliances
  (45)
• Replace washer (30)
• Lower heater temperature setting (27)
• Install energy efficient shower heads/aerators
  (25)

10
Marketing

• Top Ways That Participants Learned About HEES
  (multiple response)

Total (n1045) Mail (n242) In-Home (n242) Online (n561)
Utility bill insert 27 31 31 23
Utility website 24 4 4 42
Mail survey 16 48 6 6
Utility representative 8 2 21 4
Friend or relative 7 7 16 3
Online banner 7 2 1 11
Email 5 -- -- 10
Independent Z-Test for Percentages. Asterisks
indicate significance (significantly
different than
comparison groups) at 90 confidence /- 10
error.
11
Participation

• Participant was defined as a customer who
  received some form of recommendations through the
  program
• All of the channels that reported program goals
  met their 2004-2005 targets.
• Over 151,000 customers participated in HEES in
  2004 and 2005 combined.
• 67 participated by mail
• 23 participated online
• 10 participated through in-home visits.

12
Participation

• 57 said they thoroughly read the report

Total (n1045) Mail (n242) In-Home (n242) Online (n561)
Read the report thoroughly 57 62? 59 53
Read some portions of the report 20 16 16 24
Just glance through it 10 10 10 11
Do not read the report at all 2 2 2 1
Do not recall receiving the report 11 11 13 11

• ? Independent Z-Test for percentages. Symbol
  indicates significance (significantly higher
  than
• online group) at 90 confidence /- 10
  error.
• Symbol indicates significance (significantly
  higher than mail and in-home groups) at 90
• confidence /- 10 error

13
Satisfaction
Satisfaction (By Delivery Mechanism)

• Independent Z-Test for percentages. Symbol
  indicates significance (significantly higher
  than
• comparison groups) at 90 confidence /- 10
  error.
• Symbol indicates significance (significantly
  lower than comparison groups) at 90
• confidence /- 10 error

14
Awareness-Action Continuum
General Population v. Participants (Prior to
HEES Participation)
Independent Z-Test for percentages. The
percentage of program participants that report
taking actions action is
significantly higher than comparison groups at
90 confidence /- 10 error.
15
Overall Usefulness of Information

• Not all things to all people but valuable to
  many
• 39 felt that HEES played a unique informational
  rolethey could not have found this information
  anywhere else (or 44 if you exclude did not
  read report)
• 44 gave a rating of 8, 9 or 10 on a scale of 1
  to 10 where 10 is extremely useful. Mean was
  6.8
• Similar across all delivery mechanisms

16
Overall Usefulness of Information

• Not all of the recommendations made by HEES are
  actionable because many participants had already
  taken at least some of the actions recommended by
  HEES

• 26 of the participants say they had already done
  most of the recommendations in the energy report
• 37 say they had taken about half the actions
  suggested
• 21 had done one or two actions
• Only 9 had not taken any of the actions
  recommended by HEES

17
Adoption of Recommendations

• Customer adoption of program recommendations
• By recommendation13 of all recommendations
  adopted
• Install CFLs
• Seal air leaks/Install weatherstripping
• Lowering temperatures of ac or water
• By person38 influenced by HEES to take at least
  one recommendation

18
Cross-Program Marketing

• HEES encourages customers to participate in other
  programs by
• Including promotional inserts in the energy
  report
• Providing links to other programs in the online
  survey
• Verbally promoting programs during the in-home
  survey
• Including information such as the 800 number in
  the recommendations

19
Cross-Program Marketing

• Four delivery channels (1) PGE mail, (2) SCE
  mail, (3) SCE in-home, and (4) SCE online
• based on data availability
• Crossing of databases
• to determine percentage of HEES participants who
  then participated in other utility programs
• programs included
• Appliance Recycling Program
• Rebate Programs (Single- and Multi-Family)
• The Summer Discount Plan (or AC Cycling Program)
• The 20/20 Program (less emphasis on this one)
• Cross-program telephone survey with customers to
  determine the extent to which they report being
  influenced

20
Cross-Program Marketing
Program Participants Participated in at Least One Other Program Since Jan 2004 Non-Participants Participated in at Least One Other Program Since Jan 2004
Single-Family Rebate 6.5 4.7
Multi-Family Rebate 2.4 1.7
Appliance Recycling 5.5 6.0
AC Cycling 7.5 7.9
20/20 7.5 8.2
Total 25.7 25.6
21
Cross-Program Marketing

• Adjusted database numbers by percentages that
  self-reported that HEES played some role
• (ranged from 28-50 depending on
  program/utility)

• On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is no influence and
  5 is a great deal of influence, the influence
  that different factors had on their decision to
  participate in additional programs

22
Cross-Program Marketing

• Influences a small percentage of participants to
  participate in other energy efficiency program
  efforts (5 over two year period)
• extrapolating using SCE numbers since that is
  best guess
• There does not appear to be conclusive evidence
  that HEES leads to an increase in other program
  participation
• primarily based on database review

23
Things to Consider For The Future

• On the HEES Databases/Evaluation

• Collect complete customer information
• Develop a statewide master list of
  recommendations
• with savings estimates, fuel type, EULs
• Flag participants who receive CFLs
• Consider budgeting by delivery mechanism
• Consider analyzing each channel separately in
  future evaluation efforts

24
Things to Consider For The Future

• On the HEES Survey
• Collect additional information to help develop
  more specific recommendations

• On the HEES Report
• Review the wording of all recommendations to
  ensure that they are actionable
• Ensure that the list of possible recommendations
  is complete within each channel

25

Contact Information

• Sharyn Barata
• Opinion Dynamics Corp.
• 949 365-5730
• sbarata_at_opiniondynamics.com