Last week I wrote about ConEd’s recent campaign encouraging consumers to cut energy consumption. A recent Wall St. Journal article provided a broader review of similar efforts by utilities across the country:
Utilities are rolling out more programs than ever to help consumers cut their energy use, motivated by cost considerations, pressure from regulators and increased consumer acceptance. In doing so, they hope to cut greenhouse-gas emissions from power plants, forestall the need for building new plants and put a brake on rising electricity costs.
It seems that the ConEd campaign was simply the tip of the iceberg:
Moving beyond traditional rebate programs, utilities are putting sophisticated tools in consumers’ hands, such as online calculators, advanced electric meters, in-home displays, remote-control devices and innovative pricing plans. Some consumers say they’re changing their energy habits as a result, a task that can be time-consuming but which many people say they find rewarding.
There are several items of relevance to Marketing for Good. First, utilities are enhancing their product offerings to help the consumer save energy and mollify fire-breathing regulators. Second, by enlightening the consumer on how much energy they are consuming, they are bringing everyone into the global warming battle. Finally, instead of offering empty advertising promises like “On It”, utilities are starting to see “marketing as service” by providing new energy saving products and communications that empower the consumer to be more green in a variety of ways. Sounds good to me.
NOTE:
Kudos to the Wall St. Journal to embedding both a relevant quiz ( Vote: How attentive are you to your daily household energy use?) and a energy consumption calculator ( Doing the Math: The Complicated Equation for Going Green ) into their online story on the utilities. This is a really smart way to bring the story to life online and perhaps even encourage green thinking among their readers.