Ameren Illinois Wins National Award for Energy Efficiency Program

E Source recently announced that Ameren Illinois is the recipient of an award for creative excellence in utility advertising. Ameren Illinois was honored for its efforts to help its customers save energy through use of smart thermostats.

Partnering with EFI and CLEAResult, Ameren Illinois offered instant savings on smart thermostats manufactured by EFI's partners: Google Nest, Emerson, and ecobee, and distributed the units through its online energy efficiency marketplace. In total, nearly 4,000 smart thermostats were acquired by residential customers at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic last spring.

"At a time when some utilities were pausing their energy-efficiency programs, we were determined to make sure these low or no cost energy saving resources were available to customers, especially as more of them were spending time at home," said Kristol Simms, Director, Ameren Illinois Energy Efficiency Program. Simms added that the company tailored its messaging around home comfort, provided free shipping and included other free home energy goods to customers who purchased a smart thermostat through the program.

EFI, the technology provider and product distributor for Ameren Illinois, worked with vendors to discount their smart thermostats. EFI's Online Marketplace technology offered a user-friendly way for Ameren Illinois to sell these products and provide seamless, instant rebates to customers.

"This campaign is deserving of recognition from E-Source because of the strong results," said Jonathan Coons, Director of Marketing at EFI. "Ameren Illinois went above and beyond for their customers and we saw an immensely positive response rate, which proved the outreach, the messaging, and the timely product offering was important during this time of uncertainty. EFI is proud to work with a utility company, vendors, and partners that prioritize customers' safety and comfort via energy efficiency."

CLEAResult, the energy-efficiency implementer partner, executed the e-mail marketing campaign to promote the limited-time offer on smart thermostat rebates. "Working with our utility clients to provide low-to-no cost energy-saving products is our top priority," said Jeremy Townsend, CLEAResult Vice President.

"It was a win-win for Ameren Illinois, but most importantly, it was a win-win for our residential customers during a very difficult and trying time," said Simms.

About Ameren Illinois
Ameren Illinois delivers energy to 1.2 million electric and more than 800,000 natural gas customers in Illinois. Our mission is to power the quality of life. Our service territory covers more than 1,200 communities and 43,700 square miles. For more information, visit AmerenIllinois.com or @AmerenIllinois on Twitter or Facebook.

About EFI
Energy Federation, Inc. (EFI), the industry leader in delivering energy efficiency technology solutions, is changing the way people save energy and how utilities engage with their customers. EFI is a pioneering technology provider of utility-branded instant rebate programs for utility companies. EFI's innovative incentive and product all-in-one solutions help utilities meet their customer's needs - at the speed of life. To learn more about how EFI can help, visit efi.org.

About CLEAResult
CLEAResult is the largest provider of energy efficiency and demand response solutions in North America. Through proven demand side management strategies tailored to clients' unique needs, CLEAResult combines the strength of our energy experts and innovative technology to help over 250 utilities change the way people use energy. CLEAResult is headquartered in Austin, Texas, and has over 2,500 employees in more than 60 cities across the U.S. and Canada. CLEAResult is a portfolio company of the private equity firm TPG and The Rise Fund, a global impact fund led by TPG. For more information, visit clearesult.com

About E Source
E Source is the leading solver of problems facing electric, gas, and water utilities and municipalities. We provide data science, market research, benchmarking data, and consulting services to more than 300 utilities, municipalities, and their partners. Our guidance helps customers make data-driven decisions to strengthen their customer relationships, plan for tomorrow's infrastructure needs, and further their environmental sustainability goals while becoming more innovative and responsive in the rapidly evolving market.

View full press release: Ameren Illinois Wins National Award for Energy Efficiency Program