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Pasadena Commits $1.9 Million to Alternative Form of Energy Conservation
Pasadena Independent Jun 07, 2016
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The program is projected to reduce “PWP customer’s bills by about $5.6 million … ” over the upcoming five years of the contract. – Photo by Terry Miller
Energy Feedback Program Channels Human Psychology to Motivate Energy-Efficient Behavior
By Gus Herrera
On Monday, June 6, the Pasadena City Council renewed a feedback program that has seen recent success in promoting energy-efficient behavior amongst residents.
Item 6 on the evening’s agenda, authorized the city manager to enter into a five-year contract with Opower Inc. for the “provision of behavioral energy efficiency and customer engagement program services.”
Since 2011, Pasadena’s Home Energy Report program (HER) has become an effective city tool in increasing energy efficiency. According to city staff’s report, the HER program has engaged “approximately 40,000 residential customers and encourage[s] them to become more energy efficient by providing specific energy usage and efficiency information.”
The item was approved without opposition, after a brief presentation by Wendy de Leon, customer relations manager for Pasadena Department of Water and Power (PWP).
Those registered under the HER program receive detailed energy feedback reports four times per year. The reports not only break down the resident’s energy usage, they also compare their usage to 100 similar sized homes and provide them with specific energy-saving tips (i.e. upgrade appliances or reduce air conditioner use).
Example of HER program report that a customer with “average” use receives. – Courtesy Pasadena Water and Power
According to de Leon’s report, the program is based on the theory that individuals are motivated by seeing what their neighbors do. Staff’s report claims that research done by both independent third parties and Opower supports the effectiveness of these normative comparisons in motivating and reinforcing responsible energy usage. In other words, people are more likely to change their habits if presented with visual details of their use, especially when those details are compared to their peers.
According to a 2010 study done by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy titled, “Advanced Metering Initiatives and Residential Feedback Programs: A Meta-Review for Household Electricity-Saving Opportunities,” energy feedback programs such as the HER are a “critical first step in engaging and empowering customers to thoughtfully manage their energy resources.”
Staff’s report also mentions that similar behavioral energy-efficiency programs have been “approved as energy resources by commissions in over 35 states, including California.”
Since the HER program’s inception, it has “resulted in a cumulative total savings of approximately 18.9 million kilowatt hours (kWh),” and it is expected to “yield approximately 31 million kWh energy savings … reducing PWP customer’s bills by about $5.6 million … ” over the upcoming five years of the contract.
At first, certain council members stated their reservations about investing in a program, whose effectiveness seems to be contingent upon theory. But, Mayor Tornek was quick to demonstrate his approval.
The mayor admitted that he too, at first, challenged the notion that this form of “peer pressure” could have such a dramatic impact. Despite his hesitancy, Tornek argued in favor of the overwhelmingly positive research and also revealed that he was first introduced to these types of programs when he attended a seminar for newly elected mayors at Harvard University. Council was convinced and Item 6 was authorized.
Mayor Terry Tornek admitted that he too, at first, challenged the notion that this form of “peer pressure” could have such a dramatic impact. – Photo by Terry Miller
The city’s current two-year contract with Opower, which was valued at $789,000, is set to expire at the end of this month, June 30. The new contract ($1.9 million) will allow the city to terminate the agreement after three years (in which case the contract’s value is reduced to $1.55 million).
According to staff’s report, Opower was chosen from the four proposals received by the city because of its, “project understanding and experience” and “cost-competitive pricing.”
There were no ceremonial matters during council’s meeting and the majority of the other items on the night’s consent calendar were approved via motion sweep. Among those approved, Item 3, the authorization to purchase 150 replacement Tasers for the police department, was much needed.
According to staff’s report, the police currently have 192 Tasers. 150 of these are “seven to ten years old and have begun to fail at a higher rate during the past two years.” Normal life expectancy for Tasers is five years.
One item, which was supposed to be one of the evening’s main events, was removed from the agenda and will be heard at a later meeting, to be determined. The item in question, Item 21, concerned the authorization for the city manager to purchase body-worn camera systems for the police department.
Chief of Police Phillip Sanchez gave a presentation on the FY2017 Police Operating Budget, where he requested 10 additional police offers, and “overhiring” and another 10 to compensate for the 19 officers who are approaching retirement age. For more details on the police budget situation, see Pasadena Independent’s May 2 article: www.pasadenaindependent.com/featured/opposing-viewpoints-clash-over-police-budget.
FY 2017 budget hearings will continue for the next two Mondays until the operating budget is adopted on June 27. Full listings are available at: www.cityofpasadena.net/FY2017BudgetHearingSchedule.
For more details on the city council’s meetings, visit: http://ww2.cityofpasadena.net/councilagendas/council_agenda.asp.
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