MCE’s new Single-Family Comprehensive Program offers residential customers strategies to reduce your energy consumption and save money on your electricity bill, as well as a Similar Home Comparison Report that allows you to compare your electricity usage against that of similar homes.

How We Personalize Your Report
We determine similar homes to yours based on their geographic location, local climate, and, if available, type and size of home. You will also have the opportunity to see how you’re using electricity down to the appliance level, and to be able to compare all of your data points over time on a monthly and yearly basis.

What to Expect from Your Reports
As part of this program we are sending emailed or mailed notifications on a regular basis to provide personalized information that helps you better understand your electricity usage and costs, including a monthly summary, the Similar Home Comparison mentioned above, a bill projection sent part-way through your billing cycle to show you how much electricity you’ve used so far that month, and a budget alert to notify you if your usage for that billing cycle is 75% or more of your monthly budget amount. You will continue to receive your monthly electricity bill and the program will not impact how or when you receive those bills.

How You Can Customize Your Report
We encourage you to complete your Home Profile Survey as part of this program. Completing this will help ensure that the electrical usage information you receive is an accurate reflection of your home. By understanding more about your home and the appliances you own, the model will know what to look for — and what not to — as it works to break down your energy usage. If you experience any big changes in your home, such as a new appliance or new household members, consider taking a look at your profile again so that you continue to receive the best insights for your home.

For every answer you provide in your Home Profile Survey, you are helping to further personalize your home’s energy breakdown. Prior to answering any questions, the information in the model was based on a typical home in your region. With each answer you provide, you are improving the accuracy of the model and increasing your likelihood of saving energy and money!

Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
Customers have the option to opt out of these emails. For more information on this, please see our FAQs below.

FAQs

1. I’m surprised by the way my energy breakdown looks. Is there something wrong with my report?

It may take some time for the algorithm to learn how you tend to use energy throughout the year, so don’t be alarmed if your report looks odd to you at first. The algorithm is also designed to take into account how a typical home uses energy within a given geographic region. If a specific estimation looks off to you, please update the appliance profile to indicate the exact appliances you own or provide feedback comments.

2. Do my neighbors living in “similar homes” see my electricity usage information? Is my personal information being shared with my neighbors? Can I get a list of neighbors whom I’m compared to?

The Similar Home Comparison does not reveal your specific electricity usage to your neighbors, nor is your personal information being shared with your neighbors. Personal information collected and used for this service is utilized in accordance with MCE’s Privacy Policy.

3. How does MCE know what appliances I’ve used?

We work with our partner on this program to analyze smart meter data — the same data we use to calculate your bill — to determine how much energy your major appliances consume. In this process, data from your smart meter is used to identify the individual appliance types within your home that are consuming energy. Appliances like air conditioners and electric heating leave distinct “fingerprints” in your energy usage data; with the right tools, usage of these appliances can be identified and estimated.

4. What is “Always On?”

“Always On” represents electricity that is used every day, constantly, throughout the month. It includes standby power, as well as electricity being used by devices such as routers, cable boxes, chargers, thermostats, security systems, and fish-tank pumps. There are a couple of appliances that may seem like they’re always on, but have their own energy profiles:

  • Refrigerators – These turn on and off throughout the day to regulate the temperature, helping identify it as a separate appliance from always on.
  • TV/Desktop PC – This is included in entertainment when in use, but always on when left plugged in but idle.
  • Space Heater/Air Conditioner – Like your refrigerator, these turn on and off throughout the day and can be distinguished from other always on appliances.

5. Why can’t I see my usage breakdown?

Appliances indicated in your Home Profile Survey as “do not own”, will not appear in your usage breakdown. If an appliance uses a particularly small amount of electricity, only runs for a short amount of time, or is an uncommon feature in the “average” home, it’s possible these items will be missed. Updating your Home Profile Survey will help track these hidden appliances. In these cases, the algorithm typically categorizes the appliances not detected under the “Others” category.

6. I use gas-based heating. Why is heating in my usage breakdown?

Some gas-based heating, such as a central furnace, consumes some electricity. In order to circulate the hot air throughout the home, all central furnaces have an electric blower, pump, or fan, which is recognized in your usage data and attributed to heating.

7. I am not sure what type of heating appliance is installed at my home. Will you still be able to tell me how much I spend on it?

Yes. The data recognizes all types of space heaters.