Key Account Power Up: How Data Transforms C&I Customer Engagement

What if a standard 30-minute fire drill cost a commercial and industrial (C&I) account $40,000/year? That was the reality for one customer when they ran a fire drill in July. They weren’t just paying for the immediate energy use of the six smoke evacuation motors—they were also paying part of summer peak demand all year long because of their rate design. 

The fire drill incident revealed a common challenge for many C&I customers: utilities have a wealth of energy data, but key accounts rarely see the full picture of their energy use. These accounts can contribute up to 60% of a utility’s revenue, especially for smaller utilities. But without access to their data, they struggle to stay in the know about exactly how they’re using energy which prevents data-driven decision making and reaching sustainability goals. 

Value of Solutions for Utilities & Key Accounts

Data-Driven Customer Engagement

Brillion and Automated Energy Inc. (AEI) are changing how utilities engage with their C&I accounts. The platform empowers utilities to easily share energy data with their largest customers, offering insights into their energy usage patterns they likely haven’t seen before. It’s not only better, data-driven customer engagement but it also helps manage energy efficiency and DSM programs more effectively.  

Meet Sustainability and Program Goals

When utilities understand the energy consumption of their customers, they can tailor energy efficiency and demand response programs to the right audience, leading to increased program participation. Utilities can then track program engagement and guide their C&I customers to make better energy decisions that align with their sustainability goals.  

Personalized, actionable data is key to helping utilities and C&I accounts meet their sustainability and energy reduction targets. Better data enables data-driven decisions. We provide utilities and key accounts with the personalized data they need through detailed reports that allow them to easily track progress, analyze participation, and reduce energy.

Reduce Customer Calls

Key account managers are receiving more calls from C&I customers asking for data on their energy consumption. Instead of tracking down the information from multiple meters, manually entering the data into a spreadsheet, and sending it off to the customer, our tool simplifies this process. 

Following its acquisition of AEI, Brillion provides utilities and C&I accounts with easy access to near real-time consumption data, presented in a way that’s useful and relevant to their needs. This reduces calls to the utility and provides a better customer experience for C&I accounts because the data they need is in an easily digestible form.  

Key accounts can visualize their energy use in near real-time so they can understand exactly how their actions are impacting their bills. Whether it’s a fire drill or everyday equipment running, they can identify which activities are the most expensive and energy-intensive and make a change. Our rate engine can model any rate structure out there, which helps C&I customers understand the cost of their energy use and how it translates to specific billing rates. This visibility improves customer satisfaction and engagement by showing key accounts exactly where they can implement changes to reduce consumption. 

Manage Energy Efficiency and Demand-Side Management Programs

Brillion’s capabilities also help utilities manage their demand response, energy efficiency, and even electric vehicle programs with this data. Utilities can track participation, identify potential issues, and unlock the value of historical and current meter data that was previously underutilized. Brillion helps utilities collect savings data for every enrolled meter, making it easier to report energy savings and meet sustainability goals. This data also helps verify and justify budgets for these programs to secure continued funding. 

Driving Sustainability Through Customer Engagement

Brillion’s expanded capabilities with AEI integrates customer engagement with sustainability. It empowers utilities to track C&I customer actions and make sure everyone involved is aligned on energy reduction and demand management goals. It encourages participation in energy efficiency and demand side management programs by offering near real-time, actionable data that can be used to optimize energy consumption. 

As more C&I customers participate in these programs, they reduce energy use and directly contribute to hitting sustainability goals. Better visibility into their own energy usage data improves customer engagement with key accounts and helps utilities meet their environmental goals as well.  

Brillion reshapes the relationship between utilities and their key accounts by making their data more accessible. With the ability to track, measure, and manage energy usage in real-time, utilities improve customer engagement, reduce call volume, and help both themselves and their C&I customers to achieve sustainability goals. By leveraging Brillion’s new capabilities, utilities not only enhance their customer service but also drive meaningful participation in energy efficiency programs. This directly supports sustainability goals and makes the relationship between utilities and their key C&I accounts stronger and more transparent than ever before.  

Ready to transform C&I customer relationships and drive sustainability? Contact us today to learn how Brillion can help.