HOUSTON, July 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Direct Energy today
launched the second phase of Direct Your Energy, which
includes the first-ever online dashboard detailing customer usage
according to the appliances and products in their homes, as well as
showing weather patterns, home comparisons, temperature set point
overlays, personal alerts and recommendations, and much more.
Videos showing each feature of this new dashboard are online at
https://www.directenergy.com/direct-your-energy.
"At Direct Energy, success means our customers are empowered
with the knowledge to use less energy," said Manu Asthana, president, Direct Energy
Residential. "Would you buy a bag of groceries without knowing what
was in it? Just like you get a receipt that shows you how you spent
your money, Direct Energy now features a new user experience that
will help our customers better understand exactly where their
energy is being consumed. This is unlike anything else currently
available in the market today."
Using live customer data from smart meters, Direct Energy can
now provide a detailed account of a customer's energy usage. This
means the total amount spent at the appliance level, such as air
conditioning, will be shown. It is an innovative alternative to
sending a bill with only the total usage in kilowatt hours, which
is an abstract measurement for most consumers.
Another new feature in the second phase of Direct Your Energy is
a home comparison of a household's energy usage. This information
relates a customer's usage compared to other homes within the same
zip code with similar appliances, home amenities, and usage
patterns. Customers will also receive personal alerts and
recommendations based on their usage behavior. For example,
"Amanda, your water heater is consuming 56% more electricity than
normal, costing you an additional $16.35 this month."
In case repairs or other energy-saving services by certified
technicians are needed or recommended, the Direct Your Energy
dashboard also conveniently provides contact information for
companies within the Direct Energy family of brands that offer
relevant services. The companies featured include Benjamin Franklin
Plumbing, Mr. Sparky and One Hour Air Conditioning &
Heating.
Another feature, the Home Profile survey, gives customers the
option of providing additional information on home amenities and
appliances to help improve the accuracy of energy usage forecasting
and email and alert personalization. The goal is to help a customer
better understand not only how their overall energy usage compares
in relation to other similar homes, but also to give insight into
how much their appliances consume compared to appliances in homes
of a similar size.
Energy-saving tips will periodically show on the user dashboard
and be sent via email to notify a customer when more potential
savings are discovered. These features are in addition
to those available in phase one of Direct Your Energy.
Direct Your Energy can now be seen online by customers in
Texas when they log in to
MyAccount, the online customer account tool where customers can
manage their energy account, pay energy bills, track energy usage
and get personalized insights, recommendations and offers. Direct
Your Energy will continue to roll out new features going forward,
based upon customer engagement and feedback.
This new customer online interface is part of Direct Energy CEO
Badar Khan's vision to become the
company that ushers in the golden era of the consumer in the power
industry through consumer education and new technology. A
slate of new advertisements recently launched through a variety of
mediums, including television, radio, billboards and digital ads,
illustrates Direct Energy's new tag line "Live Brighter," with a
brand promise to "help you buy less of what we sell." Future
products and services will reflect this new company approach.
About Direct Energy
Direct Energy is a leading energy
and energy-related services provider with nearly five million
residential and commercial customers in North America. Direct Energy provides
customers with choice and support in managing their energy costs
through a portfolio of innovative products and services. A
subsidiary of Centrica plc (LSE: CNA), one of the world's leading
integrated energy companies, Direct Energy operates in 50 U.S.
states plus the District of
Columbia and 10 provinces in Canada. To learn more about Direct Energy,
please visit www.directenergy.com.
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SOURCE Direct Energy