SMART ENERGY CONSUMER COLLABORATIVE
260 PEACHTREE STREET NW SUITE 1202, ATLANTA, GA 30303 www.smartenergycc.org

---

Organizations Filed Purposes: SMART ENERGY CONSUMER COLLABORATIVE IS A 501(C)(3) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION WITH A MISSION TO SERVE AS A TRUSTED SOURCE OF INFORMATION ON CONSUMER'S VIEWS OF GRID MODERNIZATION, ENERGY DELIVERY AND USAGE, AND TO HELP CONSUMERS UNDERSTAND THE BENEFITS OF SMART ENERGY.

SMART ENERGY CONSUMER COLLABORATIVE CONTINUED TO ADVANCE THE GROUNDWORK FOR PARTNERSHIP AND SET THE STAGE FOR A CONSUMER-SAFE, CONSUMER-FRIENDLY AND CONSUMER-APPROVED MODERN ELECTRIC GRID IN THE U.S. BY FOLLOWING A THREEFOLD AGENDA OF LISTENING TO CONSUMERS VIA PRIMARY CONSUMER RESEARCH, EDUCATING CONSUMERS AND STAKEHOLDERS VIA IN-HOUSE INFORMATION MEDIUMS AND COLLABORATING WITH STAKEHOLDERS VIA IN-PERSON EVENTS AND OUTREACH. ULTIMATELY, SECC'S VISION IS THAT CONSUMERS HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE BENEFITS OF SMART ENERGY.

RESEARCH: IN 2019, SECC RELEASED FIVE PIECES OF RESEARCH SEEKING TO BETTER UNDERSTAND SMART ENERGY CONSUMERS - THEIR PERCEPTIONS, ATTITUDES AND NEEDS - AND THEN LEVERAGE THIS UNDERSTANDING TO FORMULATE ACTIONS THAT UTILITIES AND OTHER ENERGY SERVICE PROVIDERS CAN TAKE TO BETTER SERVE AND ENGAGE WITH THEIR CUSTOMERS. IN ADDITION, SECC PRODUCED THREE CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT CASE STUDIES THAT PROFILED HOW ENERGY UTILITIES IN THE U.S. ARE MAKING SIGNIFICANT STRIDES IN EDUCATING AND ENGAGING THEIR CUSTOMERS ABOUT HOW TO BETTER CONTROL THEIR ENERGY USE, THE RESULTING UTILITY COSTS AND THE BENEFITS OF SHIFTING THEIR CONSUMPTION. ALL OF THESE RESOURCES WERE PUT TOGETHER BY A VOLUNTEER-BASED RESEARCH COMMITTEE CONSISTING OF MEMBERS WHO HELPED SHAPE SECC'S RESEARCH AGENDA, REVIEWED DETAILED FINDINGS AND DISCUSSED THE IMPLICATIONS AND PRESENTATION OF THOSE FINDINGS. SECC RELEASED THE MOST CURRENT VERSION OF ITS ANNUAL 2019 STATE OF THE CONSUMER REPORT, AN ANALYSIS OF FIVE 2018 RESEARCH STUDIES THAT PROVIDED AN UP-TO-DATE LOOK AT MAJOR TRENDS REGARDING THE MOTIVATIONS, BEHAVIORS AND ATTITUDES OF U.S. ENERGY CUSTOMERS. SECC RELEASED ITS CONSUMER VALUES: MOVING THE NEEDLE ON ENGAGEMENT REPORT, AN EXPLORATION OF THE MOTIVATIONS, BEHAVIORS AND ATTITUDES OF "SELECTIVELY ENGAGED" RESIDENTIAL ENERGY CONSUMERS, A GROUP OF APPROXIMATELY 40% OF CONSUMERS THAT ENGAGE SELECTIVELY. THE REPORT ASSISTS ELECTRICITY PROVIDERS IN BETTER SERVING SELECTIVELY ENGAGED CONSUMERS BY OFFERING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR OVERCOMING THE TOP BARRIERS TO ENGAGEMENT, INCLUDING THE HIGH COST OF ENERGY-RELATED UPGRADES, THE LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ON WHAT STEPS TO TAKE TO BE MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT AND THE DIFFICULTY IN TAKING ADVANTAGE OF REBATES AND OTHER PROGRAMS. SECC RELEASED ITS CONSUMER PULSE AND MARKET SEGMENTATION - WAVE 7 REPORT, THE LATEST IN SECC'S FLAGSHIP RESEARCH SERIES ON U.S. CONSUMERS' ENERGY- RELATED ACTIONS, ATTITUDES AND INTERESTS. IT PROVIDES DETAILED PROFILES FOR EACH OF THE FOUR NEW CONSUMER SEGMENTS - GREEN INNOVATORS, TECH-SAVVY PROTGS, MOVABLE MIDDLE AND ENERGY INDIFFERENT - AND OFFERS SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOW ELECTRICITY PROVIDERS CAN BETTER ENGAGE AND SERVE EACH SEGMENT. SECC RELEASED ITS RATE DESIGN: WHAT DO CONSUMERS WANT AND NEED? REPORT, AN EXPLORATION OF THE COMMON ALTERNATIVE RATES AVAILABLE TODAY - INCLUDING TIME-OF-USE RATES, REAL-TIME PRICING AND VARIABLE PEAK PRICING - AND THE FACTORS THAT MAKE FOR SUCCESS IN TERMS OF CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT. IT ALSO PROVIDES RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PROGRAM DESIGN, CONSUMER EDUCATION AND OUTREACH EFFORTS THAT, IF APPLIED, WILL MEET RESIDENTIAL AND SMB CUSTOMERS' NEEDS AND INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD OF ADOPTION OF ALTERNATIVE RATE DESIGNS. SECC RELEASED ITS DISTRIBUTED ENERGY RESOURCES: MEETING CONSUMER NEEDS REPORT, AN EXPLORATION OF WHAT CONSUMERS KNOW ABOUT DERS, WHAT BENEFITS THEY EXPECT, WHAT BARRIERS HINDER ADOPTION, HOW PROGRAMS SHOULD BE DELIVERED AND MORE. IT ALSO PROVIDES RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ELECTRICITY PROVIDERS THAT CAN HELP DRIVE CONSUMER AWARENESS AND ENGAGEMENT AROUND VARIOUS DISTRIBUTED ENERGY RESOURCES, INCLUDING ROOFTOP SOLAR, BATTERY STORAGE, HOME ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, DEMAND RESPONSE AND MORE. FINALLY, SECC RELEASED THREE NEW CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT SUCCESS STORIES COVERING SACRAMENTO MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT, NB POWER AND AEP OHIO. EACH CASE STUDY SPOTLIGHTS HOW SMART METERS OR SMART GRID DEPLOYMENTS BY THESE UTILITIES HAVE ENGAGED CONSUMERS TO ENABLE THEM TO MATCH THE ENERGY THEY USE WITH THEIR NEEDS AND LIFESTYLES. THE SACRAMENTO MUNICIPAL UTILITY DISTRICT CASE STUDY DETAILS AN E-COMMERCE PLATFORM THEY LAUNCHED IN OCTOBER 2017 WITH A CURATED SET OF CUSTOMER- REQUESTED PRODUCTS, INCLUDING SMART THERMOSTATS, CONNECTED HOME PRODUCTS, LED LIGHTING, ADVANCED POWER STRIPS AND MORE. THE NB POWER CASE STUDY DETAILS HOW THE UTILITY DEVELOPED A NEW THREE-YEAR PLAN TO MAXIMIZE CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT IN ENERGY EFFICIENCY BY LAUNCHING NEW PROGRAMS AND DEVELOPING NEW MARKETING STRATEGIES. THE AEP OHIO CASE STUDY SHOWS HOW THE UTILITY PLANNED TO INSTALL ROUGHLY 900,000 SMART METERS ACROSS THE STATE OF OHIO OVER A FOUR-YEAR PERIOD, WHILE DEVELOPING A SUITE OF CONSUMER TOOLS TO HARNESS AMI DATA, IMPROVE CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT AND ENCOURAGE ENERGY SAVINGS.

EDUCATION: IN 2019, SECC CONTINUED TO PRODUCE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES AND INCREASE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES. THROUGH A VOLUNTEER-BASED EDUCATION AND OUTREACH COMMITTEE, MEMBERS WORKED TOGETHER TO IMPROVE CONSUMER AWARENESS AND UNDERSTANDING OF MODERNIZED ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS BY RECOGNIZING SMART ENERGY SUCCESS, EXPANDING AVAILABLE RESOURCES TO STAKEHOLDERS AND AMPLIFYING THE SMART ENERGY BENEFITS MESSAGE TO CONSUMERS NATIONWIDE. SECC CONTINUED A BEST PRACTICES AWARDS PROGRAM THAT IDENTIFIED LEADERSHIP FROM ENERGY PROVIDERS SHIFTING TOWARD A MORE CONSUMER-FOCUSED ENERGY ECOSYSTEM. THE SECOND ANNUAL EDITION OF THE AWARDS IDENTIFIED FIVE WINNERS - AUSTIN ENERGY, AVANGRID, ENTERGY, NB POWER AND RELIANT. THEY WERE EACH RECOGNIZED AT THE 2019 CONSUMER SYMPOSIUM IN NEW ORLEANS, LA. THE AWARDS PROGRAM FOCUSES ON REAL-LIFE EXAMPLES OF CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT AND EDUCATION SUCCESS AND HIGHLIGHTS A BLUEPRINT FOR OTHER ELECTRICITY PROVIDERS (AND THEIR INDUSTRY PARTNERS) TO FOLLOW. SECC ALSO HOSTED A SERIES OF SEVEN FREE PEER CONNECT WEBINARS CONCERNING TOPICS RANGING FROM 2019 BEST PRACTICES AWARDS, VOICE ASSISTANTS & THE ENERGY-SAVING SMART HOME, ELECTRIC VEHICLES MYTHBUSTING, BEYOND ELECTRONS: VALUE-ADDED SERVICES FOR CUSTOMERS, INNOVATIVE BILLING STRATEGIES, GUIDING CONSUMERS ON SOLAR AND HELPING CONSUMERS NAVIGATE EV CHARGING. EACH WEBINAR COVERED SMART ENERGY AND CONSUMER RELATED TOPICS FEATURING SPEAKERS FROM STAKEHOLDERS WITH EXPERTISE IN THAT SPECIFIC SUBJECT. ADDITIONALLY, SPEAKERS ANSWERED QUESTIONS AND ENGAGED IN DISCUSSION ABOUT EACH TOPIC. UTILIZING THE FIVE THEMES FROM THE 2019 STATE OF THE CONSUMER REPORT, SECC PUBLISHED AN IN-DEPTH OPTIMIZING CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT WHITE PAPER THAT HIGHLIGHTED SUCCESSFUL CUSTOMER PROGRAMS AND SERVICES FROM ELECTRICITY PROVIDERS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA INCLUDING A LOW-INCOME LED LIGHTING PROGRAM, A RESIDENTIAL SOLAR EDUCATION PROGRAM, A COMMUNITY-BASED ENERGY ASSISTANCE CAMPAIGN, AN ONLINE MARKETPLACE FOR ENERGY-EFFICIENT PRODUCTS AND A RESIDENTIAL RATE PLAN WITH A SMART THERMOSTAT AND SMART HOME HUB INCLUDED. IN 2019, THE EDUCATION & OUTREACH COMMITTEE TRANSITIONED TO A TOOLKIT APPROACH, PRODUCING MULTIPLE RESOURCES UNDER A COMMON THEME TO MAXIMIZE THE REACH AND USEFULNESS OF THE EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS FOR MEMBERS. THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE COMPLETED THREE TOOLKITS ON IMPORTANT INDUSTRY TOPICS IN 2019. SECC CREATED A WAYS TO SAVE ON ENERGY TOOLKIT, A SERIES OF VISUALLY APPEALING FACT SHEETS AND ACCOMPANYING SOCIAL MEDIA IMAGES DESIGNED TO HELP RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS SAVE MONEY ON THEIR MONTHLY ELECTRIC BILLS. THEY WERE GEARED TOWARD THREE GROUPS OF CONSUMERS: RENTERS, LOW- TO MODERATE-INCOME CONSUMERS AND TECH-SAVVY EARLY ADOPTERS. INFORMATION IN THE FACT SHEETS RANGES FROM TRADITIONAL ENERGY-EFFICIENT MEASURES, SUCH AS WEATHERIZATION AND INSTALLING LED LIGHTING, TO SMART ENERGY STRATEGIES, INCLUDING USING A SMART POWER STRIP AND ENROLLING IN A DYNAMIC RATE PLAN. SECC CREATED AN ELECTRIC VEHICLES TOOLKIT THAT OFFERED MULTIPLE RESOURCES AIMED AT PROVIDING CONSUMERS WITH OBJECTIVE, RESEARCH-BACKED INFORMATION ON DRIVING AN ELECTRIC VEHICLE TODAY AND WHAT MIGHT BE COMING IN THE FUTURE. INCLUDED WERE AN IN-DEPTH GUIDEBOOK DESIGNED FOR CONSUMERS THAT WANT A DEEP DIVE INTO ELECTRIC VEHICLES, AN INFOGRAPHIC INTENDED FOR THOSE THAT WANT A QUICKER RECAP ON THE STATE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND A THREE-MINUTE ANIMATED VIDEO FEATURING PROFESSOR ENERGY IN AN ENGAGING WAY TO DISPEL COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS. SECC CREATED A RENEWABLE ENERGY TOOLKIT, A COLLECTION OF RESOURCES TO EDUCATE CONSUMERS ON THE BASICS OF RENEWABLE ENERGY, THE PRIMARY REASONS FOR ITS RAPID GROWTH AND THE BENEFITS IT OFFERS CONSUMERS AND SOCIETY AT LARGE. THE TOOLKIT INCLUDED THE RENEWABLE ENERGY 101 GUIDEBOOK - A LONG- FORM, FACT-BASED RESOURCE THAT PROVIDES ANSWERS TO MANY OF CONSUMERS' TOP QUESTIONS AROUND RENEWABLE ENERGY - AND A THREE-MINUTE YOUTUBE VIDEO FEATURING PROFESSOR ENERGY THAT ANSWERS MANY QUESTIONS IN A VISUALLY ENGAGING MANNER. SECC CONTINUED ENHANCING MATERIALS ON ITS CONSUMER-FACING WEBSITE, WWW.WHATISSMARTENERGY.ORG BY ADDING 12 FEATURED ARTICLES ON TIMELY TOPICS RELEVANT TO CONSUMERS INCLUDING WHY RENEWABLE ENERGY IS TAKING OFF, FIVE CITIES AND STATES THAT HAVE COMMITTED TO CLEAN ENERGY, 4 WAYS TO START SAVING ENERGY THIS WINTER AND 3 BIG CHANGES IN THE WORLD OF ELECTRIC VEHICLES. THESE ARTICLES EDUCATED THE CONSUMER ON ENERGY EFFICIENT OPPORTUNITIES WHILE AVOIDING INDUSTRY JARGON AND KEEPING IN MIND THE WANTS AND NEEDS OF THE CONSUMER. SECC ALSO ENGAGED WITH CONSUMERS ON A VARIETY OF PLATFORMS DAILY; LARGELY THROUGH TWITTER AND FACEBOOK WITH MULTIPLE POSTINGS A DAY INCLUDING BOTH ORIGINAL CONTENT FROM THE BLOGS OR PERTINENT NEWS ARTICLES ABOUT THE SHIFTING WORLD OF ENERGY.

COLLABORATION: DURING 2019, SECC MEMBERSHIP CONTINUED TO GROW, FROM 151 AT THE END OF 2018 TO 154 AT THE END OF 2019, INCLUDING TECHNOLOGY VENDORS AND CONSULTANTS, ENERGY PROVIDERS AND AFFILIATES INDICATING THE VALUE IN THE RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS PRODUCED AS WELL AS THE COLLABORATION FACILITATED. SECC PRESENTED AT 25 CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. TO FURTHER THE REACH OF SECC'S RESEARCH AND EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS, SECC RELEASED NINE MEDIA CENTERED PRESS RELEASES. IN ADDITION, SECC WAS FEATURED IN OVER 75 ARTICLES IN TRADE MEDIA. SECC CONTINUED TO COLLABORATE AMONG STAKEHOLDERS INCLUDING ISSUING A MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER AND TWELVE ADDITIONAL PRESIDENT'S POST BLOG POSTS FROM SECC'S PRESIDENT & CEO PATTY DURAND ON TOPICS LIKE THREE UTILITY PROGRAMS THAT ARE EMPOWERING CONSUMERS AND SPEAKING UP ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND SMART ENERGY. SECC CONTINUED A CONSISTENT SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE ON TWITTER, FACEBOOK, LINKEDIN AND YOUTUBE. THROUGHOUT 2019, SECC ALSO CONTINUED THE WEEKLY ABOVE THE FOLD, A NEWSLETTER THAT KEPT MEMBERS AND NON-MEMBERS ABREAST OF SMART ENERGY AND CONSUMER INDUSTRY NEWS AND TRENDS. SECC ALSO HOSTED TWO IN-PERSON EVENTS IN 2019 INCLUDING THE ANNUAL CONSUMER SYMPOSIUM, EXPLORING THE EVOLVING WORLD OF ENERGY, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND AN ANNUAL MEMBERS MEETING & FALL WORKSHOP WHERE MEMBERS FOCUSED ON DISCUSSING THE MOST PERTINENT ISSUES IN SMART ENERGY TODAY AND PLANNING FUTURE SECC INITIATIVES FOR 2020. BOTH EVENTS FEATURED A DIVERSE GROUP OF STAKEHOLDERS AND MANY ENGAGING PANELS. IN SUPPORT OF SECC'S RESEARCH RELEASES, SECC PROVIDED FIVE PUBLICALLY AVAILABLE RESEARCH BRIEF WEBINARS COVERING EACH STUDY INCLUDING CONSUMER VALUES: MOVING THE NEEDLE ON ENGAGEMENT, 2019 STATE OF THE CONSUMER: ACTIONABLE TAKEAWAYS, CONSUMER PULSE - WAVE 7, RATE DESIGN: WHAT DO CONSUMERS WANT AND NEED AND DISTRIBUTED ENERGY RESOURCES: MEETING CONSUMER NEEDS. EACH WEBINAR PROVIDED TOPIC-ORIENTED EXPERTS SPEAKING TO THE FINDINGS OF RESEARCH AND ITS IMPLICATIONS AS WELL AS ACTION STEPS FOR OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN THE INDUSTRY. ADDITIONALLY, SPEAKERS ANSWERED QUESTIONS AND ENGAGED IN DISCUSSION ABOUT EACH TOPIC.

---

---

Data for this page was sourced from XML published by IRS (public 990 form dataset) from: https://s3.amazonaws.com/irs-form-990/202023159349305462_public.xml