As customer choice increases, it’s harder to stay at the center of energy-related decisions. Customers are seeking guidance on which products to buy, what types of rebates and incentives are available, and how to find trusted installation services. Often, the options, as well as incentives available, can be overwhelming for customers. And the Inflation Reduction Act brings a whole new suite of incentives for home electrification including weatherization, rooftop solar, electrical wiring, whole home energy reduction, heat pumps, electrical panels, induction stoves, geothermal pumps, and more–each with distinct terms and incentives to add to the confusion. Uplight aims to help bring best-in-class options to simplify decision-making for customers, enabling utilities to act as trusted advisors.
The good news is that customers trust their utility’s recommendations, and a Marketplace with suggestions for services from other vendors can further a utility’s position as a trusted energy advisor. According to Uplight research, between 18% and 23% of purchasers reported consulting their utility for information about EVs, whole-home batteries, rooftop solar, and induction stove purchases, with the potential for this number to grow.
Uplight partnered with Sealed and EnergySage to expand offerings on our Marketplace, giving customers more options to reduce their carbon footprint and be more energy efficient.
Sealed
Adding Sealed to a Marketplace gives customers who’ve recently purchased a smart thermostat or LED another step they can take in their energy efficiency journey. Sealed helps customers upgrade their home’s insulation and HVAC. Sealed covers the upfront costs of upgrades, manages all of the work, and is paid based on energy reductions achieved.
On behalf of our utility client, Uplight markets Sealed’s home upgrade services through email and on their Marketplace, passing along qualified leads. Helping customers weatherize their home in shoulder months between thermostat sales, especially in Q1 when customers are thinking about new year’s resolutions and home projects, can benefit both customers and utilities. According to the US Department of Energy, households that have completed weatherization projects save on average $283 a year or more.
EnergySage
EnergySage helps expand the utility’s role as a trusted advisor by providing a free service to help their customers transform their homes to clean energy. In just a few minutes, homeowners can request personalized quotes from pre-vetted installers for solar, storage, and heat pumps through a link on a utility’s Marketplace. EnergySage is the #1 comparison shopping site nationwide for distributed energy systems and offers a Community Solar Marketplace.
One Northeastern utility’s customer-centric solar and storage program is helping customers navigate their clean energy decisions with confidence. The award-winning program, integrated into Uplight’s Marketplace experience with customer education and statistics, continues to deliver value to the utility and its customers. Customers saved on average between 10-20% on the cost of their system, and 42% interacted with their dedicated, vendor-neutral Energy Advisor.
Sealed and EnergySage are only a few examples of the trusted partner network that Uplight has built that accelerates home electrification. By expanding their services, utilities can help customers save money and energy and maintain their status as a trusted energy advisor.
