Building America Technical Update Meeting

Neighborhood Outreach Utilizing Social Norms and Existing Social Networks

August 9, 2011

Tim Hillman, Symbiotic Engineering

Denver, CO

        

 

• Key Partners • Project Goals • Project Status • Lessons Learned (so far) • Next Steps • Questions

Agenda

 Key Partners

              

                      

              

 

• Evaluate the impact of social marketing and outreach when used in combination with traditional marketing

• Measure level of energy savings and homeowner participation within a specified community

• Assess impact of different outreach messages

Project Goals

 Target Area

                                          

              

 

“Neighborhood” chosen by the Anaheim Public Utilities and ConSol • 92804 zip code chosen by APU

• Target area based on housing research by ConSol

• Target area contains 3,266 SFRs o +/‐25% with > 0 equity

o Middle class o Average year built ~1957

o Average ~1900sq.ft.

Target Area

       

               

      

             

 

Phase 1

• Traditional Marketing to homeowners completed

• Interested homeowners being contacted by selected contractor • Energy assessments • Energy efficiency upgrades

Phase 2

• Homeowner outreach through social norms – energy utilization reports (working with utility)

Project Status

             

                

                 

 

Marketing Channels • Tri‐fold Direct Mailers to all

3266 SFR homes • 7 weeks and 7 different ads

within the Anaheim Bulletin

1% of Interested Homeowners • 28 within Target Area

• 7 outside of Target Area

Project Status

              

                

                    

                     

              

Social interactions NOT social media

• Relatively small geographical area (the larger social diffusion via social media outlets isn’t applicable)

Outreach mechanisms being considered

• Energy reports sent directly to applicable homes • Messaging leverages social norms

• Energy Challenge and curriculum materials in elementary schools • Students bring materials home, raising

awareness

Leveraging Existing Social Networks – Personal Relationships and Social Norms

                                            

                             

                   

     

     

                      

1. Identify highest opportunity target homes: • Env. Defense Fund report on OPower’s Home

Energy Reports found: o “…using information about baseline energy

usage to target reports at high‐opportunityhouseholds can increase average effectivenessby more than three‐fold.”

2. Characterize the energy use by home in the target area: • Create profiles of different size, type homes

along with their use

Targeted Mailing and Messaging

Every year, you are spending:

$840 more than efficient homes like yours.

Based on an average electricity cost of $0.1/kWh

                                    

              

                     

     

Kilowatt Kidz Energy Challenges • Month long challenge consisting of 4 in‐

class energy units (focusing on different areas of energy use in the home)

• Weekly take home activities emphasize engagement with students’ parents

• Potential fund raising alternative for schools through utility incentives provided for program enrollment

Energy Challenges in Schools

                    

                                    

               

                            

                          

 

1. Not all project partners can gain access to individual customer info

2. The partner utility is in the midst of a Home Energy Report pilot (OPower), so they are particularly sensitive to the messaging that is going out to customers

Therefore… • We won’t be able to test certain targeting techniques

(identify those homes with poorest energy performance)

• We can’t send personalized information with targeted normalized messaging (i.e., how you compare to others)

Project Hurdles

                       

                  

                             

   

1. No local education partner to help champion integrating the school energy challenge

2. Don’t have time to establish this relationship under existing project timeline

Therefore…

• We won’t be able to test mobilizing neighborhood action through school‐based energy challenges and curriculum in Anaheim

Project Hurdles Continued…

                              

                          

                                              

           

• Our ability to target market and provide custom messaging is most effective with a strong utility partnership

• Leveraging existing social networks (not social media scale) requires relationships and champions in the community of interest

Next Steps: • Will be testing similar but less personalized messaging

• Look to expand this research in areas where we have a utility partnership and community champions

Lessons Learned (so far) and Next Steps

                            

            

            

       

• Already has a neighborhood based Community Energy Challenge (FortZED)

• Symbiotic Engineering is working with the utility and community organizations

• Utility is very interested in applying targeted marketing and messaging

• Can integrate school program with community energy challenge

Future Opportunities – Fort Collins, CO

Questions / Comments

Thank You!