Load Shapes With Attitude Are Available Now; National Business Energy DataMart Completed

Business Wire, Sept 28, 1999

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 27, 1999--

Now there is a source of load shapes and business information available to the energy industry.

The Energy DataMart is a survey database of more than 10,000 businesses across the U.S. It provides information about commercial and small industrial businesses that facilitates and enhances marketing activities for players in energy markets.

"The Energy DataMart raises the bar for energy surveys," said Jim Fay of the Gas Research Institute. "We believe that it will soon be the new standard for broad-based market research about business customers and their energy behavior."

A unique feature of the Energy DataMart is that it pairs attitudinal information together with energy-use estimates and load shapes for the individual businesses in the sample. This information will become increasingly important as markets open to competition. However, "in a meeting last April with early-bird purchasers of the DataMart, we were encouraged by the enthusiasm we observed regarding the availability of just the national and regional load shapes," observed Ingrid Rohmund of EnergyFiles. "Even companies with extensive load research activities viewed the DataMart load shapes as a vital complement to their existing resources."

The Energy DataMart product consists of the survey database with documentation, a final report of analysis results and the MarketPro software. MarketPro is an analysis system that allows users to slice-and-dice the database without using SAS, SPSS or other stat packs. These elements may be purchased individually or at a discounted package price.

The Energy DataMart survey was conducted in late 1998 and analysis was completed in June 1999. The database provides firmographics, energy use, load profiles, and attitudinal information for all business types across the U.S. The completion of the DataMart was a joint effort between Regional Economic Research (RER), Opinion Dynamics Corp. (ODC) and EnergyFiles. GRI was the primary sponsor of the research. To date, 18 organizations, including utilities, energy service companies, equipment vendors and research organizations have purchased the DataMart.