client
Newfoundland Power
project description
As the Evaluator, Econoler performed the 2017, 2018 and 2019 evaluations of the Home Energy Report Program administered by Newfoundland Power and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro. The program provides residential customers with home energy reports (HERs) that illustrate energy usage patterns and provide personalized energy-efficiency tips to help reduce energy consumption. The impacts of such a program on customers’ energy-efficiency behaviours are assessed by comparing a control group and a treatment group. These two groups are designed by a third-party program implementer. Prior to program launch in late 2016, Econoler assessed the soundness of the program design by validating whether the program implementer’s selection of the treatment and control groups was properly carried out based on electricity consumption data, household characteristics and geographical locations. Econoler conducted similar validations when new customers were added to the program in 2018 and 2019.
highlights
For each program year, Econoler performed a billing analysis to calculate both the monthly and the cumulative program energy savings. These savings values were then compared to those reported by the program implementer. Econoler also conducted surveys with customers from the treatment group to evaluate the program’s effects and impacts on customer behaviours and to assess customers’ satisfaction with the HERs and their perception of the HERs. These surveys were also used to learn about and document the specific energy-efficiency-related actions taken by the treatment-group customers to estimate program peak demand savings.
By completing these evaluations, Econoler provided Newfoundland Power and Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro with not only the evaluated savings results, which could be reported to the provincial energy board, but also recommendations on how to improve the program and how to properly calculate savings.