As customers become more sophisticated, and satisfying them grows increasingly important to utilities, artificial intelligence (AI) is emerging as a way to increase engagement, though with a range of challenges, analysts told Utility Dive.
For example, smart thermostats use AI to learn customer behaviors over time and manage temperature settings.
“As we all know, space heating and cooling are the biggest end users in residential homes,” Matt Callans, director of performance and optimization at energy efficiency consultant CLEAResult, told Utility Dive. “These types of smart thermostats are, I think, the best application of cost effective solutions for customers that can really start to unlock the potential of AI.”
