Detectent, the leading provider in Customer Intelligence Solutions for North American utilities, today announced that it has achieved an important milestone of being able to successfully integrate hourly interval reads into its energy usage behavior models – providing a deeper understanding of energy usage patterns based on data from utilities’ Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI). Detectent’s models, when applied to more timely and granular data, enable utilities to better understand how their customers use energy and empower them to provide their customers with information necessary to make informed energy usage choices.

Detectent has been a pioneer in the field of advanced analytics for utilities. By segmenting utility customers into detailed categories based upon business, premise, lifestyle and energy use parameters, Detectent has been successful in assisting utilities with billing errors and energy theft, as well as assisting utilities with the development and execution of client-customized, marketing outreach programs to promote demand response, energy efficiency and conservation programs.

Now with the ability to model energy usage based on hourly data, Detectent’s solutions give utilities a means to leverage the wealth of data they collect as AMI systems are deployed.

Detectent’s unique energy efficiency solution leverages the company’s extensive database, which contains detailed, operational information on each customer segment, far beyond what utilities typically have at their disposal. This information, in conjunction with advanced analytics, behavior/lifestyle modeling, and segmentation aids the utility in evaluating customers’ needs on a micro level. Pinpointing customers who are most likely to take part in a given demand response, energy efficiency or conservation offering allows the utility to customize outreach strategies, by program; thus ensuring maximum impact for each program.

“Detectent’s approach to identifying target customers for Energy Efficiency programs will continue to grow in importance as efficiency targets increase for utilities,” said Vincent Graziano, president of RISE Engineering, one of the oldest and most established providers of energy efficiency services in North America. “In a very short time, Detectent’s approach proved capable of making a dramatic increase in the effectiveness of our marketing efforts and customer acceptance of the energy efficiency programs,” said Graziano.

In addition to customer analytics for energy efficiency programs, Detectent’s analytical model can also assist utilities in the prevention of revenue loss. Energy theft is responsible for utility losses of billions of dollars per year. It’s a serious issue with huge safety concerns, and product losses can impact earnings and the rates paid by customers.

Numerous utilities across North America are struggling with increased theft incidents, and some utilities, such as DTE Energy in Detroit, are employing intelligent analytics to help mitigate this costly and dangerous problem. “Detectent is a good partner for DTE Energy due to their ability to analyze data sets and look for abnormalities in usage.

Their ability to use data from multiple utility providers to develop patterns for groups of like businesses was especially attractive,” said Mark C. Johnson, revenue protection manager for DTE Energy. “First and foremost addressing energy theft is important to DTE due to the potential safety hazard it creates. Illegal energy usage can create safety hazards for both the location engaged in the theft and the surrounding community should an explosion or fire result.” By complementing DTE Energy’s theft process with Detectent’s energy use modeling and peer consumption analysis, Detectent is able to assist DTE Energy on identifying theft cases that otherwise would go undetected.

Customer intelligence combined with external data sources is a sound foundation for effective business decision support and is significantly enhanced by AMI data. “By deploying intelligent systems, processes and analytics as well as lifestyle modeling – especially with the onset of AMI data sources – today’s utilities are better equipped to pro-actively promote energy programs to a targeted set of users, as well as use enhanced data to protect revenues and better serve their customers,” said Wayne Willis, vice president marketing for Detectent.

About Detectent Inc: Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., Detectent is the leading provider of cutting edge Customer Intelligence Solutions that maximize the value of Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) and traditional metering systems and help North American utilities drive higher customer satisfaction, greater revenue and more effective customer programs. Our solutions help utilities better understand their customer’s energy end-usage points, ensure accurate billing, curtail theft and maximize customer program participation and benefit. Detectent’s offerings are scalable to any size of utility and apply to electricity, gas and water services for residential, commercial and industrial customers.