2009-04-30-奥纬咨询-Making_Efficiency_Cool_PUF_6页_645kb

Making Efficiency Cool: A Summary

Core Content

This document outlines a new business strategy for energy efficiency, transitioning from Efficiency v.1 to Efficiency v.2. It highlights the need for a fundamental shift in how energy efficiency is marketed and sold to businesses and consumers, as current programs have not met the ambitious goals set by political and regulatory leaders. The focus is on increasing demand for efficiency products and services, rather than just expanding supply.

Main Points

• Legacy Efficiency Programs (Efficiency v.1) have made efficiency products and services widely available, but they have not sufficiently increased demand.
• Demand for efficiency among businesses and consumers is weak, even when heavily subsidized.
• The value proposition of efficiency needs a significant transformation to make it more appealing and compelling.
• Efficiency v.2 is a business-oriented model that centers on customer engagement, branding, and marketing strategies to drive demand.
• Utilities must adopt demand-centric approaches, leveraging customer science and innovation to inspire action.
• Smart meters and time-of-day pricing are key components of the smart grid, but they are not enough on their own to significantly reduce consumption without creative strategies.
• New performance metrics and management information systems will be essential to track and report progress in Efficiency v.2.
• Organizational culture must shift to be more flexible, innovative, and customer-focused.

Key Information

• Efficiency v.1 was supply-centric, aiming to make efficiency products and services available to motivated customers.
• Efficiency v.2 will be demand-centric, aiming to grow the market for efficiency and make it more desirable.
• The "Cool Your Carbon" strategy is proposed to reposition efficiency as a cool and rewarding action for consumers.
• Examples of such strategies include contests, mascots, and media exposure to make efficiency more engaging.
• Regulatory changes in 2008, such as decoupling-plus policies, have enabled utilities to earn material shareholder returns from efficiency programs.
• The Best Efficiency Business (BEB) model is seen as a way for utilities to evolve into business-like entities while fulfilling their public service obligations.

Challenges and Opportunities

• Customer apathy remains a major obstacle to achieving efficiency goals.
• Price is not a strong motivator for efficiency, as efficient devices are often more expensive.
• Branding and marketing are critical to overcoming this apathy and building demand.
• Regulatory pressure is increasing, with penalties and incentives tied to efficiency performance.
• Utility transformation is necessary to meet the new expectations and goals of the Efficiency v.2 era.

Conclusion

The transition to Efficiency v.2 represents a quantum leap in the energy efficiency sector. It requires utilities to rethink their business models, invest in customer science, and embrace innovative marketing and branding strategies. By doing so, utilities can inspire and engage a broader audience, making efficiency not just a necessity, but a desirable and rewarding choice for consumers and businesses alike.