Hydro Ottawa Announces Successful Summer Saving Day Results

Hydro Ottawa today announced positive results from its Summer Saving Day program, which delivered targeted communications to help customers save energy during the hottest days of the year, when energy use is highest. The project, which was delivered through a partnership with Opower (NYSE: OPWR) and with funding from the Ontario Ministry of Energy’s Smart Grid Fund, empowered Hydro Ottawa customers to save 3% of energy on average during times of peak demand.

In summer 2015, Hydro Ottawa rolled out its Summer Saving Day program to unlock the full potential of the utility’s smart meter infrastructure and amplify energy savings during high-cost, peak hours. By providing customers with personalized insights, Hydro Ottawa successfully motivated households to reduce peak demand without devices or price signals. The strong results proved that software-based behavioral efficiency can deliver a tangible, significant reduction in energy use by directly engaging customers to have more control over their energy use.

"Hydro Ottawa was the first Canadian utility to use behavioral demand response to engage our customers to collectively reduce peak electricity demand, and I'm glad to say the results this summer were very strong," said Hydro Ottawa CEO Bryce Conrad. “We work hard to provide a modern, cutting-edge utility experience for our customers, and Opower’s demand response program is a strong example of that commitment.”

Hydro Ottawa deployed over 550,000 personalized communications to more than 50,000 customers before and after peak hours of energy use during the hottest days of the summer. Opower calculated the 3% average customer savings via randomized controlled trials, which allow for the most accurate and precise measurement of energy savings.

“The Ontario government is proud to have worked with Hydro Ottawa to pioneer this ground-breaking and successful project through our Smart Grid Fund,” said Bob Chiarelli, Minister of Energy. “By working with local utility companies and partnering with innovators in demand management, we are reducing energy bills and ushering in a greener energy future for Ontarians.”

About Opower

Opower (NYSE: OPWR) is an enterprise software company that helps utilities elevate the customer experience. Energy providers use Opower's customer engagement platform to deliver proactive, digital communications that raise customer satisfaction, manage energy demand, and lower service costs. Opower's software is deployed to more than 95 utilities worldwide and reaches more than 50 million homes and businesses. For more information, please visit www.opower.com and follow us on Twitter at @Opower.

Forward-looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding benefits from the use of Opower’s solutions. Any statements in this press release about future expectations, plans and prospects for Opower represent Opower’s views as of the date of this press release. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. While Opower may elect to update these statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so.

About Hydro Ottawa

Hydro Ottawa’s core businesses are delivering electricity, generating renewable power and providing energy conservation/management services. Hydro Ottawa is a community-owned, private company, delivering electricity to more than 319,500 customers in Ottawa and Casselman. It is the largest municipally-owned producer of green power in the province, with hydroelectric and landfill gas-to-energy generating facilities. Hydro Ottawa Holding Inc. (Hydro Ottawa) owns and operates two subsidiary companies, Hydro Ottawa Limited and Energy Ottawa Inc.

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