EPB ranks #1 for helping customers save on energy
For the second consecutive year since the launch of EPB Energy ProsSM, EPB is #1 for best overall performance across TVA's service area in helping customers save money and conserve energy through TVA EnergyRight programs. In all, the EPB Energy Pros and EPB's Commercial Energy Services team helped customers adopt 15.6 million kWh of money-saving and carbon-reducing smart energy technologies in 2021.
For residential customers, the EPB Energy Pros are the cornerstone of this effort. They provide free expertise to help customers save on energy bills while reducing environmental impact. During the fiscal year, the EPB Energy Pros provided free consultations to more than 2,500 customers and helped more than 1,100 homeowners and renters save energy and money with free EPB Home Energy CheckupsSM. During these in-person consultations, EPB Energy Pros analyze customers' homes and provide personalized recommendations about the most cost-effective ways to make their homes healthier and more energy-efficient. The EPB Energy Pros also helped families save 128,000 kWh with the DIY Home Energy Assessment, an online evaluation where residential customers can input information about their homes and receive a personalized report with energy efficiency recommendations. First-time participants receive an energy efficiency starter kit as well.
For local companies, EPB's Commercial Energy Services team also played a major role in reaching this benchmark. EPB helped its business customers save 2.8 million kWh by providing expert guidance, professional energy evaluation tools, research and service to commercial customers while reducing peak demand charges for local customers. EPB was also the number one local power company valley-wide for helping its industrial customers convert 11.4 million kWh away from fossil fuels and toward smart energy technologies through the TVA EnergyRight for Industry Smart Energy Technologies program.
Reducing the energy burden for customers in need
In October 2021, EPB, TVA and the City of Chattanooga partnered to add $1.2 million in additional funding for Home Uplift, an EPB program that provides high-impact home energy upgrades for economically challenged people with the goal of reducing their home energy burden. As a result, EPB increased the total number of Home Uplift homes from 400 to nearly 600 by the end of the fiscal year with funds remaining to keep the program going strong.
“Before Home Uplift, my power bill was as much as $350 a month. I had to make hard choices between buying food and paying my bills. Now my electric bill is about $86 a month thanks to energy upgrades to my home and EPB's Levelized Billing program,” said Home Uplift participant Carolyn Humphries. “I also used to get bronchitis and pneumonia a lot. Now I don't get sick like I used to. I feel much healthier, comfortable and safe in my home.”
This fiscal year, the Home Uplift program helped Chattanooga area families save a total of 363,000 kWh — which greatly reduces their energy costs.
“Many Hamilton County residents live in older homes and can't afford the renovations and repairs that would make their homes more energy efficient,” said Chattanooga City Mayor Tim Kelly. “The Home Uplift program helps people save money and energy while also ensuring their health, comfort and safety especially during extreme summer heat waves and winter freezes.”
The Home Uplift program helps participants save an average of 25%, or $400 per year, on their energy bill, while enjoying greater comfort, health and air quality.
Helping customers save money on TV
To help customers benefit from rapid changes in the TV industry, EPB began providing customers with free phone consultations to help them “cut the cord” of traditional TV services and choose streaming services that provide greater flexibility and potential savings. Since launching the effort, EPB customer service representatives report that they have helped some customers save $1,000 per year or even more. As Kimberly Miles put it, “I worked with one customer to help her cut the cord, and she saved $163.93 a month [which is equal to $1,967.16 per year].”
In addition to providing personalized phone consultations, EPB launched EPB MyBundle last year, a free online app that allows customers to choose their content and channel preferences and get personalized recommendations about the streaming services that can help them save.
To raise awareness, EPB also launched a comprehensive marketing effort to help customers understand the benefits of cutting the cord of traditional TV in favor of streaming services that offer greater flexibility and potential cost savings. For example, our “Cordcutters Unanimous” campaign highlights how EPB offers support to help customers make the change easily and benefit from cutting the cord.
When EPB Fiber Optics launched its TV service in 2009, nearly every new customer included TV in their subscription, but as the shift away from traditional TV plans accelerates and EPB continues to help people cut the cord, the percentage of EPB Fiber Optics customers who subscribe to TV services has dropped to about 34%.
Helping senior living residents connect with loved ones
This year EPB expanded our voice offerings by launching EPB Hosted Phone for Seniors, a new commercial product designed for senior living and care facilities and their residents. EPB Hosted Phone for Seniors offers retirement centers, nursing homes and other senior care facilities a turnkey communications solution that is more reliable and less expensive than traditional PBX systems.
“Senior care facilities have the important responsibility of providing residents with reliable phone service. It's also good if they can offer handsets that offer features that support seniors, especially those with hearing and vision impairments,” said Valerie Lucas, EPB Product Manager Strategist II. “Hosted Phone for Seniors includes special handsets with amplified sound, an extra-large Braille keypad, a bright, visual ringer, hearing aid integration and more,” said Lucas.
The new product also includes popular phone features, such as voicemail, call waiting, talking caller ID and unlimited domestic long-distance calls. And, like all our EPB products, Hosted Phone for Seniors is backed by our 24/7/365 award winning, local customer service team. Best of all, supporting retirement facilities with reliable phone service that helps residents communicate better with their loved ones upholds EPB's commitment to help keep everyone in our community connected.