Still on the fence about whether you should report to the Carbon Disclosure Project? The CDP recently announced even more investors are using their service to evaluate companies. A record 722 investors with $87 trillion in assets have become signatories to the CDP climate change program in 2013, up 10 percent from last year’s 655 investors with $78 trillion.

Companies have until May 30 to report their emissions and emissions-reducing activities to CDP, and June 27 to submit water and forest information.

If you want access to this third of the world’s invested capital, we can help. Ecova is one of only 8 partners worldwide who have been certified in carbon calculation by the CDP.
 

Related content:
Blog Post: Ecova Helps Client Quantify and Track Supply Chain Savings
Solution: Carbon Management
Press Release: Ecova Earns Accreditation from Carbon Disclosure Project

As the Northeast continues to dig out from #Nemo, our concern remains with our clients and everyone affected by the storm. We have created a Storm Resource Center webpage, which will be updated frequently with information on utility companies in the impacted areas, as well as other relevant information.

The Storm Resource Center provides quick links and valuable resources on the following:

• Local utility service outages and contact information
• Telecom vendor contact information
• Information about pre and post storm safety
• Utility social media links, when available

For everyone impacted by the conditions in the NE, if you are able to get online, we encourage you to visit your utility company’s website, as it is likely to have important safety information. Additionally, the American Red Cross has many important resources to assist you, including a searchable emergency shelter database.

Please stay safe. If you are a client, your Client Service Representatives are available to help you, via phone or email, during normal business hours.



Sustainability innovation, marketing and employee engagement all rank as initiatives big businesses will invest in during 2013. How does this compare to your 2013 sustainability strategy?

According to a recent industry report from Verdantix, corporate spending on energy, environment and sustainability management in 2013 will grow by less than 10 percent. Based on interviews with 250 sustainability decision-makers, the survey found that sustainability innovation, marketing and employee engagement will receive the biggest boost in budgets in 2013.

We want to hear from our clients, who comprise nearly 25% of the Fortune 500, as well as readers of our blog.

Take our quick, two-question survey to share and compare your energy and sustainability goals for 2013.

Thank you!

Last week, Verdantix, the independent analyst firm, published a report on our work helping utilities reach and engage their customers to create more efficient homes. The report entitled, 'Ecova and Aclara Help Utilities with Customer Engagement,' outlines our partnership with Aclara which we announced in early 2012.

In the report, Verdantix analyst Ray Crowley highlights the four key things our home energy work is designed to do:

1. Alter consumer perceptions and experiences of energy efficiency
2. Use big energy data to inform home owners of their energy consumption
3. Improve accuracy of analysis with data from in-house audits
4. Redefine consumer engagement through multichannel lines of communication

Crowley goes on to say that he expects our approach will differentiate us in the crowded home energy market:

“Through the use of big energy data analytics, in-house audits, consultations and varied means of follow-up communication, Ecova’s partnership with Aclara brings an added dimension to the crowded home energy management market.”

Specifically, Crowley calls out three areas that he expects will lead to our work being well
received by utilities:

• Evolving nature of utility and consumer relations
• Integration of software, hardware and field services in the customer journey
• Use of varied methods of communication in the sales cycle

Ecova recognizes similar themes in the market, which is why we completed the partnership with Aclara and are working on additional behavioral-based approaches to home energy management. We are moving toward a new era in energy efficiency; one that will see more comprehensive programs for consumers which take into account their whole home perspective and reach them in the way that they are most likely to act on.

This combination of in-home services and technology improvements that enable big data approaches to behavioral change, along with Ecova’s long history of implementing successful energy efficiency programs with utilities, will be a powerful force for change.

Related content:
Case Study: Home Energy Improvement
Solution Overview: Home Energy Improvement 

Our own Brad Gawboy was interviewed recently by Property Management Insider on managing volatile energy prices. Brad spoke recently at the RealWorld 2012 annual user conference on energy trends, discussing ways to better understand and track energy pricing to lock in favorable rates.

Read the full interview.

And, Reuters spoke with Jonathan Lee this week – getting insights into U.S. natural gas prices and this week’s temperature impacts.

You can read Jonathan’s thoughts on Reuters.