PG&E & Opower Luncheon

I was recently invited to attend a luncheon for bloggers in SF hosted by Mom Central. PG&E and Opower were there and taught us about our energy usage and the new tools they have to help us monitor how much we use in our homes.

It was held at the Presidio Social Club which was lovely. The whole presidio is gorgeous and it was fun to drive around and see the historic buildings. 

I'm pretty sure they chose this butternut squash soup based on the fact that it matches the PG&E logo perfectly.

Here is the adorable Abbie from Opower who was out of breath during her presentation because she's due with baby #3 next month! She sat with us after her presentation and taught my friend Lynda & I about the new features that Opower is integrating with PG&E. I love that they are using technology to connect customers with our energy usage! We had a Smart Meter installed about a year ago, and I saw no difference other than it was digital. And I could see the numbers turn off and on when I had to go flip the circuit breaker :)

What you can do now is sign into your account and compare your energy usage with your friends and houses that are similar to yours. Nothing like a little friendly competition to get you to conserve energy! In studies that Opower has done, people were most responsive and apt to change when they heard that their neighbors were doing it. Not to save money, not to help the earth, but because their friends and neighbors were doing it. So - Opower & PG&E have the right idea by using social media (a huge part of most of our lives) to integrate energy usage with technology.

Here is my delicious Chicken and Arugula Salad with Candied Pecans & Avocado Dressing. I want to recreate this at home!

This German Chocolate Cake was killer! Instead of the coconut frosting on top, it was sandwiched in between the layers of cake. Then the whole cake was frosted with chocolate buttercream! More chocolate in a chocolate cake = awesome. 

I am more focused on the saving money end of things, so I am always turning off lights and anything else that uses electricity. In our energy report, it shows that we are higher than other homes that are similar to ours. I think it's because we live in Santa Cruz and those other homes have solar panels or something! Also in your report, you can look at the energy usage throughout the day. If you have a spike at a certain time, think about what was being used at that time and if it could be lessened or eliminated completely.  

I definitely feel more connected to our energy usage in our home after attending this informative luncheon. I am so glad that PG&E and Opower are reaching out to consumers to connect with us instead of just receiving a bill that is foreign to us every month.

Thank you Nikki at Mom Central for having me, and thanks to Darleen and Abbie for your wonderful presentations. It was great to meet you all and learn so much over a delicious spread of food! 

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"I wrote this review while participating in a campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of PG&E and Opower. I attended an informational luncheon and received a promotional item to thank me for my participation."