Field Assessment of Communicating Thermostats Coupled with Behavioral Messaging

This emerging technology report documents the results from the Alpha test of the Honeywell communicating thermostat pilot and Opower behavioral software. In this wave, 17 employees of PG&E had the thermostat installed at their home. The thermostat includes programming that allows it to be remotely programmed through an iPhone app or a PCbased app. It also has the functionality to push messages to participants through the iPhone app, alerting them to important aspects of their energy use.

The Alpha test was a first step in a broader effort to test the Opower/Honeywell solution in PG&E’s service territory. The goal of the Alpha test was to test functional readiness of the thermostat and behavioral software solution, to assess customer satisfaction with the installation process and with the thermostat and to assess customer engagement with the thermostat.