National Grid and Simple Energy team up to deliver advanced, real-time customer engagement

Thursday, Jan 31, 2013

BOULDER, Colo., Jan. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Simple Energy announced that it was chosen for National Grid's smart grid pilot with the goal of delivering advanced, real-time customer engagement. National Grid's pilot program will work to combine the nation's best technology and energy companies to create an innovative energy system for 15,000 customers in Worcester, Mass.

The National Grid pilot strives to create the future of energy consumption and conservation using advanced energy solutions. Simple Energy will offer its online and mobile energy-saving game to support community-based smart grid implementation, energy efficiency, and demand response using leading behavioral science and cutting-edge technology.

"National Grid has long been a leader in energy efficiency, delivering both traditional and innovative energy efficiency solutions to its millions of customers. We are honored to be selected for this pilot and hope to deliver significant energy savings to its customers," said Yoav Lurie, CEO and co-founder of Simple Energy.

The teams selected for the pilot by National Grid will provide customers with smart meters, advanced communications technologies, in-home energy management tools, devices for electric system automation, as well as customer outreach and education, project management, integration and evaluation.

"Simple Energy's customer engagement platform is designed to use micro-targeted messaging to customers to motivate them to save energy in a more real-time way than traditional approaches," said Ed White, vice president, Customer Strategy for National Grid. "The company also has significant experience and success in delivering community-based programs and peak load reduction for major utilities across the country. We look forward to the energy savings and customer value this platform and engagement approach hopes to produce."

The Simple Energy platform helps users understand their energy use with actionable insights and compelling motivations based on behavioral science. The Simple Energy platform normalizes customer's energy usage, allowing participants to compare with friends. In addition, customers can form teams in order to compete on behalf of a cause they support, such as a school or community organization.

About Simple Energy

Simple Energy uses social advanced behavioral science to change how people save energy and how utilities engage their customers. Simple Energy's customer engagement platform and applications combine leading behavioral science research and social game mechanics that encourage energy efficiency. Participants in Simple Energy programs compare their real energy usage with their friends and neighbors, making energy efficiency social, fun, and simple. For more information visit: www.SimpleEnergy.com.

About National Grid

National Grid (LSE: NG; NYSE:NGG) is an electricity and gas company that connects consumers to energy sources through its networks. The company is at the heart of one of the greatest challenges facing our society - to create new, sustainable energy solutions for the future and developing an energy system that underpins economic prosperity in the 21st century. National Grid holds a vital position at the center of the energy system and it 'joins everything up'.

SOURCE Simple Energy