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SMART ENERGY CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT SUCCESS STORIES

Guiding Consumers on Their Solar Journeys

PROGRAM AT A GLANCE To combat misinformation in their service territory, Cobb EMC developed a Solar Education Strategy that included a comprehensive social media campaign, a

About Cobb EMC Cobb EMC is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric cooperative. As a member-owned cooperative, Cobb EMC safely delivers reliable electricity to more than 200,000 residential and commercial consumers in Cobb, Bartow, Cherokee, Fulton and Paulding counties. Cobb EMC is consistently recognized for low-cost, reliable power, a commitment to renewable energy and giving back to the communities it serves. Cobb EMC is one of the largest EMCs in the nation, and the company’s wholly-owned subsidiary Gas South is a leading provider of natural gas in the Southeast.

revamp of their solar webpages, educational short-form videos, a membership-wide survey, a postcard mailed to seniors (one of their most vulnerable member demographics), email campaigns and more.

RESULTS SO FAR

Combating Misinformation and Myths About Solar Energy Over the last several years, Cobb EMC has seen a spike in digital and print advertising from potential solar scammers promising consumers that they could go off the grid with rooftop solar, completely eliminate their electric bills, reduce their bills by 80 percent — or even install rooftop solar for $0 down with no out-of-pocket expenses. Cobb EMC developed a detailed plan to create extensive and informative educational materials to help members avoid a costly long-term commitment that could jeopardize their financial future, while providing them with the education necessary to participate safely in renewable energy. Cobb EMC’s Solar Education Strategy included a comprehensive social media campaign called “Summer of Solar,” a revamp of their solar webpages, educational short-form videos, a membership-wide survey, a postcard mailed to seniors (one of their most vulnerable member demographics) and, lastly, email campaigns.

The total number of people reached through the Solar Education Strategy has exceeded 4,000,000 over the course of the campaign. In addition, Cobb EMC had over 29,000 members “convert” by fulfilling the ultimate call-to-action, visiting their website to learn more and become empowered to make an informed decision about solar energy.

For their website, Cobb EMC divided content according to the journey and steps that a member would take regarding rooftop solar. For social media and digital campaigns, Cobb EMC set out to address members’ concerns, such as what questions to ask a potential contractor and providing a step-by-step process to installing rooftop solar at home, including at what point to contact their utility. The ultimate goal of the solar education strategy was to arm consumers with resources as their trusted source of information regarding renewable energy.

Starting with a Survey to Gauge Initial Consumer Understanding Cobb EMC began the process with research that would inform the solar education materials and communications campaign. This included a membership survey to learn more about the appetite for solar energy among their members. The survey had 458 responses, and the results were alarming. The key takeaways were: • Members 65 and older were most engaged with the survey. This was most alarming because this is an at-risk demographic that often falls prey to scams that promise significant savings.