WATERBURY — Following Tropical Storm Irene, Kelly Hackett plugged in a dehumidifier to dry out her flooded basement. She ran the unit for three months out of the year, and it bumped up her electric bill by $40 per month.
“I was like, what in the world is going on?” she recalled asking herself.
It wasn’t until Efficiency Vermont contacted Hackett to discuss a new program that she found out the dehumidifier was the chief culprit for the spike in her electric bill. Now, she is working with the state’s efficiency utility to reduce her usage and save at least $200 per year, Efficiency Vermont estimates.
During a news conference at her Waterbury home on Friday, the utility announced a new program that analyzes electricity usage data to provides customers with easy ways to reduce consumption, the first consumer engagement tool of its kind in Vermont.
The year-long pilot program will be offered to 100,000 Green Mountain Power customers, who will receive a customized home energy report including comparisons with neighbors’ usage and tips to reduce consumption.
“It’s all about helping encourage and engage customers to be able to take advantage of the smart meter information we have in Vermont — to go deeper and be able to save,” said Jim Merriam, director of Efficiency Vermont.
The tips become more detailed as customers provide the utility with more information, such as the size of their home, he said. The utility will randomly select customers, who can then choose whether to participate.
Hackett’s three-bedroom, 1,500 square-foot home used about 793 kilowatt-hours per month, which is less than the average among her neighbors, but still higher than some of the most efficient homes in the area, according to her home energy report.
She already swapped out six 50-watt halogen light bulbs with efficient LED bulbs. Each bulb cost her about $5, after the retail discount provided by Efficiency Vermont. The utility estimates she will save $88 per year after swapping out the bulbs.
Hackett said she plans to install a heat pump hot water heater in her basement, which will extract the warm air from the basement to heat her water. Efficiency Vermont recommended the new hot water heater, which is up to three times more efficient than her current one and will cut her electric bill by $200 per year.
The hot water heater will also dehumidify her basement, according to Matt Kilcoyne, a customer support specialist for Efficiency Vermont. He said the 50 gallon heat pump hot water heater can cost up to $1,200, which comes with a $550 rebate from Efficiency Vermont.
The utility plans to offer the program to all electric customers in 2015. Burlington Electric Department customers will not receive the service because the utility has its own efficiency program.
The utility reports use behavioral science to encourage electric customers to use less, according to Merriam.
“Behind all of this there is some experimental learning and continuous evolution of how you present the information to people,” he said. The reports don’t go so far as to shame customers for using too much electricity.
Hackett’s report is marked by a single smiley face, indicating that her home consumes less electricity than about 100 other homes surrounding her.
“Positive reinforcement,” Merriam said.
