Contact’s new Online Home Check-up makes it easy for customers to work out how they can save money on their power bills by making improvements to the energy efficiency of their home.
“All a customer has to do is answer some simple questions about their home and energy use habits, and they receive instant, dynamic responses as they go, along with a tailored report generated at the end which shows them where they can make savings,” said Contact’s Retail General Manager, Jason Delamore.
“It is easier to use and more accurate than other power-savings calculators because the customer’s annual energy spend is automatically loaded when they log in,” he said.
Every Online Home Check-up savings report is unique, and identifies a range of immediate ways the customer can make energy savings and an indication of what those savings may be. It also identifies areas where they may want to consider making an investment to improve their energy efficiency over the long-term.
Customers can save and print their report so it’s easy to refer to, and they are also able to keep revisiting it online to recalculate savings as they make changes to their home or their behaviour.
“At Contact we are committed to helping our customers have better control over their energy usage as a means of managing their energy costs. In many households, making simple changes such as reducing the frequency of appliance use can add up to a significant annual saving,” Mr Delamore said. “As well as the benefit to customers of identifying potential bill savings, the tool’s promotion of energy efficiency also has wider environmental benefits.”
Contact examined international best practice examples of similar online tools before determining how theirs should be designed and built.
“From a technical perspective, we believe that we have really pushed this type of energy savings calculator to the next level in New Zealand,” said Mr Delamore.
Contact worked closely with expert partners Touch/Cast Next and Core Technology to develop the Online Home Check-up.
“Effective teamwork amongst the project partners has been a critical factor in the success of this project. Although the tool is very simple and intuitive to use, the logic and systems behind it are anything but, so it’s been a highly successful project from a development point of view. It’s really satisfying to see this new tool in action on Contact’s website,” said Touch/Cast Next Creative Director Andrew Hawley.
Contact’s Online Home Check-up calculates potential energy savings based on the BRANZ Household Energy End-Use Project 2006. This was a long-term study that measured and modelled the way energy is used in New Zealand households.
Contact customers who are already registered for online services can access the Home Check-up now by logging in at www.contactenergy.co.nz/homecheckup
Contact customers who wish to register for online services can do so online at www.contactenergy.co.nz with their account and ICP numbers, which are noted on the monthly bill.