REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN. ONLINE RESIDENTIAL ENERGY AUDIT And BEHAVIOR CHANGE PROGRAM FOR

Transcription

1 REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL FOR DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF AN ONLINE RESIDENTIAL ENERGY AUDIT And BEHAVIOR CHANGE PROGRAM FOR March 6, 2018 Page 1 of 7

2 Applied Energy Group (AEG) is soliciting proposals for a web-based Online Energy Audit software tool for Minnesota Energy Resources Corporation. AEG is the program administrator for Minnesota Energy Resources Conservation Improvement Program, a mandated energy efficiency portfolio of programs for Minnesota Energy Resources customers. In addition, we are soliciting a proposal on a residential natural gas-focused behavior program. About Minnesota Energy Resources Minnesota Energy Resources Corporation is a natural gas utility serving 232,000 customers in 184 communities across Minnesota. Residential customers make up approximately 209,000 of the total customer base. Page 2 of 7 The service area is characterized by a handful of modest-sized cities along with many rural communities in 52 counties. The service territory is non-contiguous and spans the entire state from north to south and east to west borders. Background Minnesota Energy Resources currently provides an online energy audit assessment tool for residential customers. Minnesota Energy Resources has not connected customers to their actual usage for this analysis but uses averages based on the online audit company s regional experience. This software serves Minnesota Energy Resources need for an online residential energy audits and provides site eligibility screening, energy performance ratings, itemized recommendations, and a cloud-based reporting platform for AEG. The current solution also provides the option of direct mail paper audits which has been used to drive targeted campaigns in rural areas. Customers are responsive to promotions for the online energy audit and usage of the tool has steadily increased annually, starting with 1,510 participants in 2013 to 3,321 participants in 2016 but back down to 1,424 in Participation spikes immediately after a promotional campaign but does not maintain that level evenly throughout the year. In addition, no direct mail paper audits were used in Proposals AEG is requesting proposals for a potentially new online energy audit solution and behavior change program for the following reasons: To determine the latest functionalities available To determine the current pricing for various options The proposed audit tool should be capable of providing meaningful energy assessments to residential customers that focus on natural gas energy efficiency opportunities and provide direct links to Minnesota Energy Resources other tools and energy efficiency programs. The software should provide customers with the ability to complete an online self-assessment of their home with a focus on natural

3 gas efficiency as well as capture and provide meaningful data to AEG to conduct meaningful customers engagement. The behavior program should be natural gas-focused. The format in which we request proposal be submitted is primarily in a question and answer format. For Part I Online Energy Audit: In Section I-1, we request a general description of your product and questions relating to your client base, experience and evaluations. Please repeat the question and put your response underneath each question. In Section I-2, we request responses to questions on requirements or critical functionality. Please repeat the question and put your response underneath each question. Section I-3 contains questions on nice to have or preferred functionality. Please repeat the question and put your response underneath each question. Section I-4 allows you to provide information on any functionality not asked about in the earlier questions, to tell us anything else we did not ask about that may be relevant, and to give you an opportunity to sell your product and differentiate yourself from your competition. Section I-5 is on pricing. For Part II - Natural Gas-Focused Behavior Program: In Section II-1, we request information on what you consider to be a behavior-based program, a general description of your behavior-based program, and questions related to your client base, experience, evaluations and program. In Section II-2, we request information on pricing. Additional Information: At the end of this RFP is information on timeline and contacts at AEG. Once this RFP is issued, any informal conversation regarding this RFP with anyone from Minnesota Energy Resources or Applied Energy Group could disqualify your proposal from consideration. Part I Online Energy Audit Section I-1: General Description/Overview/Experience Please provide a general description of your product and its functionality. If your system has a variety of related functions, a diagram of how they interrelate may be helpful. Please also include: 1. How many gas-only utilities do you have as clients? How many gas-only customers are served by those utilities? 2. How many gas and electric utilities do you have as clients? How many dual-fuel customers are 3. How many electric-only utilities do you have as clients? How many electric only customers are 4. How long have you offered online energy audits? Page 3 of 7

4 5. How many online energy audits have been started using your online audit? 6. How many online energy audits have been completed using your online audit? 7. Can you provide information on how many completed audits have led to improvements that qualified for a rebate by your utility clients? 8. Have you had any evaluations of your product done? If so, please provide a copy of the evaluation. Section I-2: Requirements/Critical Information 1. Is your system mobile friendly? Can it be used from a smart phone or tablet as well as a desktop or laptop? 2. What internet browser platforms does your solution support (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, etc)? 3. Does your system generate energy assessment reports for customers that provide a home energy rating? 4. Can your system configure multiple building types? What types of building types are supported? 5. Is your system capable of identifying energy efficiency measures specific to the type of home (single family, condominium/townhome, apartment) and the information provided by the customer, and give the customer potential energy savings by efficiency improvement, potential savings, rebate amounts and simple payback? 6. Does your system require data download of each customer s usage data? 7. If your system does not require usage data download of each customer s and uses other data or algorithms on which to estimate potential energy savings, please tell us how your system works, i.e. specify the other data, where is it obtained from, what geographic area it covers, and provide information on the sample size. 8. Does your system disaggregate usage into end uses, i.e. heating, water heating, etc? 9. Is your system capable of providing links to relevant Minnesota Energy Resources program offerings? 10. Can your system analyze all natural gas residential end-uses? If not, which end uses are not able to be analyzed? 11. Does your system capture customer contact information, building information such as age, size, occupancy, measure/equipment information, and efficiency already implemented? Please list all data captured through the audit and whether it can be provided in excel or other format. 12. Does your system allow for customization of questions, i.e. screening for low-income eligibility or specific measures? 13. Does your audit provide energy tips? Of all your standard tips, how many are for gas use only (i.e. gas heating)? How many are for gas and electric use (i.e. insulation)? How many are for electric only (i.e. cooling, lighting)? 14. Do you have a paper version of your audit or only an online version? If you do not have a paper version, are you willing to develop one? 15. Tell us about your reporting tools and functionalities for program management, evaluation and marketing? 16. What type of technical support and user training is available? Page 4 of 7

5 Section I-3: Nice to have or Preferred Functionality 1. Does your system have the ability to function as an app, i.e. still working when not connected to the internet and updates automatically when reconnected online? 2. Does your system integrate or communicate with conservation program tracking systems to share calculated savings, cost, and customer information? 3. Can your system generate project leads and send them to various Minnesota Energy Resources programs, to third party implementers or to program staff? 4. Does your system have the ability for workflow tracking, scheduling and various stages of engagement in the respective programs.? If so, please describe. 5. Can your system perform outbound messaging to customers who opt in for reminders on a pre-set schedule, i.e. reminders to change furnace filters? 6. Can your system validate customer site eligibility against Minnesota Energy Resources data or zip codes served? 7. Can your system provide metrics for customer engagement, i.e. started assessments, completed assessments, completed to lead status, etc? Section I-4: Other functionality not mentioned above Please describe any other functionality or capabilities not mentioned or questioned above. Please also use this section to differentiate yourself from your competitors. Section I-5: Pricing Please provide your pricing by the following categories: 1. What is the set-up fee? If there is a different set-up fees for downloading customer data versus not downloading customer data, please provide both fees. 2. What is included in the set-up fee? 3. What is the hosting fee? Is it charged monthly, quarterly, annually? 4. What is included in the hosting fee (i.e. X hours of programming, etc)? Please be as specific as possible. If there is a different hosting fee for not downloading customer data versus downloading customer data, please provide both fees. 5. Is there a fee per user? 6. Is there a cost for direct mail paper audits, please define all the costs (identify fixed or variable). 7. Is there an extra fee for mobile usage versus non-mobile usage? 8. Is there an additional fee for reporting or for developing a report specific to our needs? 9. What is the cost of customization? Is it on a Time and Material basis? If so, what is the range of hourly fees and the range of hours that message customization might require? Examples of customization efforts would be helpful. 10. Is there a fee for training users and program partners? If so, what is the fee? 11. Is there a fee to set up project leads to various Minnesota Energy Resources programs? 12. Is there a fee for workflow tracking, scheduling and various stages of engagement in programs? 13. Is there a fee for site eligibility screening? 14. Are there other charges not specifically mentioned above that we should know the charges for? Page 5 of 7

6 Part II Natural Gas-Focused Behavior Program Section II-1: General Description/Overview/Experience Please provide a definition of what you consider to be behavior changes relating to natural gas. Provide general description of how you encourage natural gas usage behavior change. Please also include: 1. How many gas-only utilities do you have as clients? How many gas-only customers are served by those utilities? 2. How many gas and electric utilities do you have as clients? How many dual-fuel customers are 3. How many electric-only utilities do you have as clients? How many electric-only customers are 4. How long have you offered your behavior change program? 5. Is it an opt-in or an opt-out program? 6. If participants opt-out, do you replace them? 7. How do you select participants? 8. If you are provided with the number of measures (i.e. furnaces, setback thermostats, water heaters) that received rebates during a specific calendar year and the savings associated with those measures, do you have to ability to reduce your savings (both participant and control group) to ensure we do not double count savings? 9. Have you had an impact evaluation performed by a third-party evaluation company? What was the average savings per customer for natural gas? Did you have a participant group as well as a control group? Were savings for rebated measures excluded in the evaluation? 10. What is the persistence of your savings? 11. What is the ramp up for your savings? 12. If you use a comparison to like homes, on what do you base your comparison in addition to usage? 13. What other strategies do you use other than like homes, i.e. gamification? 14. If you use messaging to participants, are they digital or paper reports? How often do you send them out under each scenario? 15. Can you customize behavior change recommendations to each participant or do you send the same recommendation to all participants but rotate the recommendations by message? 16. What behavior change recommendations do you offer? Please provide only recommendations that affect natural gas usage. 17. Can a participant go online and update their information, i.e. size of home, number of participants? 18. Do you have a call center that helps people opt-out? 19. Is your program proprietary or do you use a third-party s program? Section II-2: Pricing Please provide your pricing by the following categories: 1. What is the set-up fee? 2. What is included in the set-up fee? 3. What is the per participant fee? Is it charged monthly, quarterly, annually? 4. Are there different fees for digital users versus paper users? 5. Is there an additional fee for reporting? Page 6 of 7

7 6. What is the cost of customization of reports to customers or to us? Is it on a Time and Material basis? If so, what is the range of hourly fees and the range of hours that message customization might require? Examples of customization efforts would be helpful. 7. Is there a fee to set up project leads to various Minnesota Energy Resources programs? 8. Are there other charges not specifically mentioned above that we should know the charges for? Additional Information Project launch is anticipated January 1, 2019, with an anticipate duration of 12-months until the end of the triennial plan period. Annual or 3-year renewal is likely based on regulatory approval. However, because we will only have 1 year of the behavior program in the current triennial, please providing pricing for 1 and 4 years. It will be the responsibility of the bidder to perform project management of activities necessary for a successful launch. The following dates will apply to this RFP: Task Due Date RFP Issued Mar 6, 2018 Notification of intent to bid 4:00 pm Central; Mar 14, 2018 Questions from providers who filed a notification of intent to bid 4:00 pm Central; Mar 21, 2018 Responses to questions provided 4:00 pm Central; Mar 28, 2018 Proposals due 4:00 pm Central; Apr 18, 2018 Acknowledgement of receipt of proposal 10:00 am Central; Apr 19, 2018 In-person presentation, if requested, in Green Bay, WI Week of May 21 Selection made/contract negotiated/winner announced 4:00 pm Central; May 28, 2018 Configuration startup; timeline for implementation Jul 1, 2018 Go Live January 1, 2019 PLEASE NOTE: 1. If you submitted a proposal and did not receive acknowledgement, please contact us immediately. 2. There is no expressed or implied obligation for AEG to accept any proposal. 3. AEG may award the online audit and the behavior program separately. 4. There is no obligation for AEG to reimburse responding firms for any expenses incurred in preparing proposals in response to this RFP or for attending a best in finals meeting if requested. 5. Only those who submit an intent to bid will be allowed to ask questions, receive answers to the questions, and submit proposals. 6. Questions and Proposal must be submitted electronically in pdf format to: Lisa Rafferty lrafferty@appliedenergygroup.com (920) Any question or proposal received after 4:00 PM Central of the specified date will not be accepted. 8. AEG reserves the right to request additional information or clarifications from bidders or to allow corrections of errors or omissions. Page 7 of 7