Benchmarks

EIS: What Do Customers Really Want?

The biggest challenge in offering energy information services is increasing awareness of product benefits.

Energy information services (EIS) are a fast-growing component of offerings from energy service providers (ESPs). The products range from services based on monthly billing data, such as bill payment, bill verification, and utility accounting, to more detailed meter-based services such as load profiling and analysis, rate comparison, remote monitoring and control, and even responses to market pricing.

For a recent market research study, Research Data International's sister company, E SOURCE, conducted nearly 800 interviews with energy managers across the United States and Canada in the institutional, industrial, and commercial sectors to assess market potential for these products. The research uncovered real potential for such offerings, but challenges exist. The biggest barrier to market entry is lack of awareness of the products and their benefits.