FAQ

Homepage

What is the purpose of the User Homepage?

The User Homepage is where you will find all the information and links pertaining to your account, including: a user dashboard, short messages, discussions, tips and blogs that are shared amongst your friends and communities. All of the latest site content and information can be found through the User Homepage.

What is the User Dashboard for?

The User Dashboard provides you with important links to various sections and functions on the website. Through the User Dashboard, you are able to edit your user settings and profile, create or join communities, and otherwise monitor basic site activity. Think of it as having all of the main features and components of your account in one, convenient spot.

Why is there an Activity Tracker?

The Activity Tracker is here to remind you of things you have yet to complete on the site (such as filling out your profile), and also to suggest other sections of the site for you to check out. You can also add new activities and create a to-do list for the site as well.
For example, if you are determined to make energy usage changes, like replacing incandescent bulbs with CFL bulbs, you can add that to your activity tracker, included with a deadline date or goal. This will appear on your Community page, as well. Once you complete an activity, your Community tracker will also be updated and available for everyone to see.

Can I view my Energy Usage Graph on the Homepage?

Of course! You can actually switch between the graph view and the User Dashboard view.
Click on the “Usage Graph” link in your User Dashboard panel to view your energy graph.
Once you are finished viewing the graph, simply click on the “Display Dashboard” link located below the graph to return to your User Dashboard options.

What is a Short Message? Why is it restricted to 150 characters?

Short messages are used to send something quick and short to your friends and communities. Like the name suggests, these need to be short messages, hence them being restricted to 150 characters.

Are replies/comments restricted to 150 characters as well?

Yes, replies and comments are also restricted to 150 characters. Both are similar to a Short Message, in that they are easy ways to share something quickly with friends and communities.

Profile

What is the User Energy Mileage information on the profile page?

Energy mileage is to give you a sense of your home energy usage, like miles per gallon is used to get a sense of a car’s fuel efficiency. Energy mileage calculated by us is defined as “Square footage of the home served by 1 Million BTU of energy”. This is an annual energy usage figure, and is calculated by dividing the square footage of your house, by the total energy consumed by your house. We convert different forms of fuel units (such as Electricity in KWhr, Natural Gas in therms, etc.) to British Thermal Units (BTU), for calculating the Energy mileage. Higher numbers of energy mileage denote a highly energy efficient home.

What are the different types of energy usage stickers? Why is my sticker a certain type?

There are 5 types of stickers allocated to each user: Green Bicycle, Light Green Electric Car, Yellow Sedan, Blue Van and Gray Bus. A user’s Energy Usage Index (EUI) is benchmarked against other users in their city and each user is allocated a sticker. The allocation is done based on the average energy usage in the area. The following are the characteristics of each sticker:

  • Green Bike: These users are energy independent users and most likely have an energy generation source (solar or wind, for example) on site. This is the level that most of us should reach to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and our impact on the environment.
  • Light Green Electric Car: These users are the most energy efficient users in the area. They have implemented many energy saving techniques and should look into becoming energy independent. They should look to leverage renewable energy sources (like wind and solar) for meeting their energy needs.
  • Yellow Sedan: These users are average energy users in their area. They have a tremendous opportunity to improve their energy efficiency and conservation. They should look out for energy saving tips and interact with the community to reduce their energy usage.
  • Blue Van: These users have an above average energy consumption rating in their area. This could be due to higher occupancy of their homes, additional equipment that requires more energy (like a second refrigerator) or just the energy habits that make them waste energy. Based on what their situation is, these users should create a plan for saving energy and work on it soon.
  • Gray Truck: These users are the biggest energy users in their area. This could be because of higher occupancy in their homes. However, if the occupancy is average, the user should learn more about their usage and figure out ways to cut down their energy usage. They have a great opportunity at hand to reduce their impact on our environment.

What is the purpose of the chart on my profile page?

There are different types of charts on your profile page and they are there to help you understand your energy usage better. Overall, there are four types of charts, and each of these charts can be configured to display data over the last 1 month, 3 months, 6 months or 1 year:

  1. Usage Chart: This is a simple chart that maps out your energy usage (all types of fuel) and shows you the average energy usage as well.
  2. Friends Chart: This chart benchmarks your energy usage against your friends. You can benchmark the units of energy you have used against the energy used by your friends
  3. Community chart: This chart benchmarks your energy usage against all the communities you are part of.
  4. City Chart: This is a benchmarking chart that shows your energy usage against other users in your city. This chart is used to allocate energy usage stickers.

The chart shows you the amount of energy you are consuming. By filling out further details in your profile, such as appliances, heating and lighting, you will be able to monitor your energy usage activities. This will give you a clearer understanding of the amount of energy that is wasted, enabling you to focus on controlling your utility bills and work towards a more sustainable lifestyle.

There are profile questions that I am unsure of how to answer, or don’t know the answer for. What should I do?

This is absolutely fine! You are not required to answer all of the profile questions, though it will help you greatly to do so. If you are unsure of any answers, simply skip those questions for the time being and answer the ones you are certain about. You can come back to your profile at any time to change, add or update any previous answers that may have been skipped or otherwise unknown at the time.

Be sure to keep your profile information as up-to-date as possible. If someone moves in or out of your home, make a note of it. If additions/renovations are done, or if you have been cutting back on appliance use, be sure to mark your progress! This way, the information displayed on your chart will also be current and you will have a sound idea of where you stand in achieving your energy saving goals.

For the Energy Usage section, how do I upload my energy data information?

In order to use the Energy Data Upload feature, you will first need to acquire some utility information. Here are the steps you will need to take in order to get the proper files to upload to this site:

  1. Login to your utility account.
    -You will do this by going to the website for your utility company (whoever it is that provides your heat, water, electric service).
  2. In your utility account, there should be an option available to download your 12 month energy usage data. This file may be in a *.xls, *.pdf, or *.csv format.
  3. Save this file (preferably in *.xls, or spreadsheet, format) to your computer.
  4. Use our upload form to locate the saved file and add it to your profile.

Can I change my profile picture?

Yes. Go to the Homepage, and under the Activity Tracker section, click on “Edit your user settings”.
Once on your User Settings page, you should see the default picture with the word “Change” under it.
Click on the “Change” link to upload a new picture.
-Pictures must be in a .jpg or .gif format, and have a maximum width of 100 pixels and height of 120 pixels.

How do I add/invite friends?

There are actually quite a few options you have to do this.
Go to the Homepage and click on the “My Friends” link in your User Dashboard.
A page will load that will give you the following options to add/invite friends:

  • Import contacts from Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo! Mail
  • Send an e-mail invited to friends
  • Invite people from Facebook
  • Search for and add friends who are already members of SpeakEnergy.com

Or you may tweet about SpeakEnergy on Twitter.



Communities

How do I create a community?

Click the link that says “create a community”. From here, you can create the community name and web ID (ex. http://www.speakenergy.com/YourWebID), and select what type of community you want it to be. There are three community types available for you to choose from:

Public – allows anyone to join, without needing administrative approval

Open – allows anyone to sign up for your community, but you have the option to approve/reject their membership

Private –only those who are invited are allowed to join.

Can I change the settings of my community once it’s created?

Yes! Simply go to your community profile and click on the “Edit Community” link. In your community settings, you will be able to change the description of your community, update the community goal and energy saving date, and change the level of privacy (public, open or private).

What is all this information in the orange box for?

The orange box you see on any community page shows you the progress that particular community has made towards their energy saving goal. If you mouse-over the box, more information will pop up on the community members that have contributed to the goal thus far, including how much they have contributed and in what way.