EcoRebates Blog Energy Cost Savings Calculators - A Powerful Add-On to Rebate Finder Tools

Consumers want to save money and lower their annual utility bill, even as they add energy consuming devices to their homes. Today's efficient appliances, HVAC systems and lighting products all operate with less energy. Just like rebate offers, giving consumers energy savings information - like the this widget - helps activate specific product purchase decisions.Providing an energy savings calculation alongside (or embedded within) our web+mobile Rebate Finder tools can guide consumers to identify and quantify both the up-front rebate savings as well as the lower annual energy costs on high-efficiency products. EcoRebates data already includes energy consumption for over 200,000 products. Combined with our location-aware technology and regional energy cost data, an energy savings calculation is an easy add-on to new or existing Rebate Finder deployment. Here are three ways to leverage energy savings calculations and help consumers make efficient product purchase decisions. 1. Promote Savings Early in the Purchase Process Consumers shop first for products, then for energy savings. Energy savings calculations that are contained on web and mobile product pages will be visible during the research phase. Consumers should be able to use a local estimate of energy savings as a tool to compare among similar product (e.g., which of these two HVAC systems has lower operating costs?)2. Automate and Simplify the Savings CalculationEnergy costs vary regionally and exact savings will change by product specification, features and even usage. But consumers need something simple to guide them. Rather than requiring consumers to input information, energy savings that populate automatically (just as 'Available Rebates' do) can more effectively influence purchases. And, savings are more memorable if they are also translated into a recognizable metric such as equivalent 'trees saved' or 'cars taken off the road'. 3. Make info Mobile Accessible Consumers' path to purchase has become more fluid as they rely on multiple devices and formats, including in-store engagement with sales associates. Since energy savings calculations are one piece of information consumers will use to make a purchase decision, it is important to provide it across all accessible formats, especially mobile.