During the White House Consumer Convening in D.C. earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) introduced a voluntary “Consumer Bill of Rights” framework for States to incorporate into their upcoming Home Energy Rebate programs. The framework outlines 12 key rights for consumers, with the goal of empowering homeowners with clear, transparent information as they navigate energy efficiency and renewable energy upgrades for their homes.
For more than 25 years, Clean Power Research has been focused on answering the kinds of questions emphasized by this framework—to help consumers understand the energy choices available to them and how those choices will impact their comfort, their environment and their finances.
Our customer engagement solution, WattPlan®, has long enabled state energy agencies, utilities and other organizations to deliver on the ideas presented in this “Consumer Bill of Rights”. WattPlan is an easy-to-use, cloud-based calculation and modeling tool that can be rapidly deployed with customized branding to provide consumers with personalized education and guidance for complex home energy decisions. WattPlan helps sponsoring organizations drive consumers to programs—in areas like EVs, solar, and time-of-use electric rates—in support of those organizations’ decarbonization and electrification goals.
Specifically, WattPlan supports three critical elements of the DOE’s Consumer Bill of Rights framework:
- Availability of Information: Consumers have the right to access accurate, easily understood information about the Home Energy Rebate programs through their state’s website and other communication channels. WattPlan allows state energy agencies, utilities and other organizations to highlight programs and guide consumers toward program engagement through easy-to-configure forms and workflows.
- Information on Home Energy Rebates: Homeowners participating in the rebate programs have the right to clear, transparent information on their eligibility and the available rebates. WattPlan enables organizations to educate consumers on the specific rebates and incentives they qualify for, empowering informed decision-making.
- Energy Bill Impact: A key part of the “Consumer Bill of Rights” is the homeowner’s right to accurate, easy-to-understand projections of how energy efficiency upgrades will impact their monthly utility bills. WattPlan uses sophisticated energy modeling to deliver personalized bill impact estimates, so consumers can confidently assess financial implications.
By integrating WattPlan, any organization with a charter to educate consumers can proactively meet the principles outlined in the DOE’s “Consumer Bill of Rights” framework. This helps build consumer trust, increase program participation and ensure households can make smart choices as they navigate the evolving energy landscape.
If you’d like to try WattPlan for yourself*, click the following to learn if PV is right for you, how much money you’d save with an electric car and which electric rate would be best for you given your energy use.
If you are a program or product manager at a state, tribal or territorial energy agency, a utility or another organization and you are looking for ways to demonstrate your commitment to the DOE’s new framework, make sure to Contact Us. Let’s talk about how your organization can leverage WattPlan to support the “Consumer Bill of Rights”.
*Note: WattPlan is available nationwide for utilities, co-ops and municipalities. The public site in this blog is only for residents of Washington, Oregon, and California. Check with your state energy agency or utility to see if they have WattPlan available for your area!