Opower (NYSE: OPWR), the global leader in cloud-based software for the utility industry, today announced that it has achieved a major company milestone: Opower’s technology platform has saved families and businesses six terawatt-hours (TWh) of energy across more than 95 utility deployments worldwide. Saving six TWh is equivalent to taking all the homes in Alaska and Hawaii — states with a combined total of 2.1 million people — off the grid for a full year.

The milestone represents more than just energy savings and reducing harmful emissions; Opower’s utility programs have also put money back in the pockets of consumers. To date, utilities working with Opower have reduced their customers’ energy bills by over $700 million.

More than 95 utilities use Opower’s platform to help their customers reduce energy consumption and save money on their bills. As part of the six TWh milestone, many have experienced great success in their energy savings programs, including:

  • Connecticut Light & Power, serving over 1.2 million people, has saved 50.8 GWh, the amount of electricity generated by nine wind turbines annually;
  • NIPSCO, which serves Northern Indiana, has saved 67.5 GWh and 1.8 million therms, the equivalent of switching 1.4 million incandescent lamps to CFLs;
  • New Jersey Natural Gas has saved 1.6 million therms, enough to offset carbon emissions from burning over 9 million pounds of coal; and
  • Pepco Holdings has saved 35.1 GWh, enough to power all of the homes in Washington, D.C. for 4.5 days.

"New Jersey Natural Gas is committed to empowering our customers with the right tools and information to help manage their energy bills," said Kathleen T. Ellis, Chief Operating Officer of New Jersey Natural Gas. "Through innovative technology, like the Opower program, we are able to give our customers an enriched customer experience that helps them save energy and money."

Opower has continued to invest significantly in its technology platform to drive greater savings and engagement for utility customers. By saving six TWh of energy, Opower and its utility partners have abated 9 billion pounds of CO2 emissions to date. The cumulative impact of these reduced emissions is equivalent to:

  • Removing nearly 900,000 cars from the road for a year;
  • Preserving 32,000 acres of American forests; or
  • Saving 10 times as much energy as the world's largest solar photovoltaic power plant generates in a year.

“Saving six terawatt-hours is a significant milestone for Opower and our utility partners,” said Dan Yates, Opower CEO. “Worldwide, utilities are facing unprecedented challenges — from flat demand, to more distributed generation, and to new regulatory hurdles. But these programs show that by leveraging technology to strengthen customer engagement, utilities can provide unique leadership in helping their customers make smarter energy decisions.”

About Opower
Opower is a technology company that combines behavioral science, data management, and insightful analytics to transform the way utilities relate to their customers. Opower’s software has been deployed to more than 95 utility partners around the world, and reaches more than 50 million households and businesses. Opower’s technology platform analyzes more than 380 billion meter reads to deliver its services, and has created enough energy savings through behavior change to power all the homes in a city of 1.25 million people for a year. Founded in 2007 and listed on the NYSE as OPWR, Opower is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, with offices in San Francisco, London, Singapore and Tokyo. For more information, please visit www.opower.com and follow us on Twitter at @Opower.