S3C Toolkit

Communication

Develop FAQs to assist the support staff - Creating a list of FAQs can help customers solve potential problems themselves and it can ease the work of the support team. To prepare the support staff for problems which might arise on the customer side, questions should be collected already in an early phase. You can put this into practice with our tool Collecting FAQs during the installation process. This tool helps to collect all questions - ranging from technical, to financial and security related issues - that arise during the installation phase of a project. 

Energy audits for households - Performing energy audits can help customers to improve the way they consume energy, increase awareness and suggest measures to induce savings. This guideline summerizes the main elements of an energy audit and the issues to be considered when introducing such a service.

Engaging people through telling stories - Narratives or stories can be a powerful tool for customer engagement. This guideline offers an insight into different forms and uses of narratives as well as best practice examples from the field.

How to identify regional stakeholders - For successful smart grid projects that take place on a local or regional level, it is important to include affiliated decision makers who support and disseminate your project. This guideline gives an introduction into the topic of stakeholder analysis.

How to improve your smart energy project through check-ups - Good project management includes continuous attention to make sure your project is running well. Implementing a basic check-up process can help you keep your project running smoothly and ensure that small issues get resolved before major problems appear.

How to make energy visible through feedback - Utilities that want to develop and implement energy feedback to their customers need to consider both benefits and potential challenges. This guideline provides advice and good examples on when and how feedback can be used in smart grid projects.

Introducing demand side management to SMEs - In this guideline we advise aggregators and energy companies on how to approach small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) and engage them into the demand response (peak levelling and electrical energy adaptation) programmes.

Making leaflets to educate customers - New products and services require a learning and adaptation process by the customer. A leaflet that refers to available support and information materials can be developed to support this process. The template is designed as a (magnetic) fridge leaflet.

Privacy and data protection - What should be taken into account when dealing with privacy, data protection and personal data storage? This guideline provides an overview of recommended measures and methods that help preserve the user’s data protection rights.

Recruiting participants - Provides advice on how to recruit the consumers for the needs of your smart grid project, product or service. The guideline is intended for project coordinators introducing new smart grid projects.

Setting up customer support in a smart grid - The customer support guideline is meant for project managers who need to assure that the customers that are participating in the smart grid have a dedicated hotline.

Smart Energy Quiz - An interactive quiz module that conveys knowledge about energy efficiency and energy related topics in a playful manner. It allows utilities to present themselves to their customers as a responsible supplier and to learn more about their customers’ energy behaviour. To try the Smart Energy Quiz tool, click here.