Report examines utility, customer enhancement initiatives
Navigant Research has released findings from an effort examining methods utilities can implement to enhance customer relationships.
The report explored strategies utility providers and manufacturers can adopt to bolster the residential aggregation of distributed energy resources (DER) and develop new customer-centric solutions.
“To remain competitive in an Energy Cloud future, utilities and energy retailers need to enhance what consumers can achieve with their own DER assets,” Roberto Rodriguez Labastida, senior research analyst with Navigant Research, said. “Aggregating those assets can help customers by optimizing their use at the home level and bringing more value by providing services to the grid.”
Navigant Research maintains utility-consumer relationships are crucial as the industry transitions from an environment where value is derived from the generation and transmission of electricity to one where the value lies in the services that can be provided on top of electricity sales.
The report also revealed manufacturers could boost hardware sales by aggregating them to provide customer-centric solutions in addition to product-centric ones.
Emerging strategies, such as pure aggregators, managed DER programs, device-focused aggregation, and smart home-focused aggregation, are outlined in the report, Navigant Research officials said, adding it also reviewed case studies detailing successful approaches and barriers encountered by energy players using these strategies.
