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Comparing Populations

Comparing populations helps you understand how energy use and customer characteristics differ across customer groups.

A comparison starts with a question and two or more Segments that represent the populations you want to investigate. You can then add those Segments to the same Report and explore where and how they differ.

For example, you might compare:

  • Customers on different tariff rate codes.
  • Equity-flagged and non-equity customer populations
  • Customers in different geographic areas
  • High evening demand customers with the broader population
  • Residential and commercial customers

Start With a Comparison Question​

Begin by identifying the difference you want to investigate.

For example:

How do customers on Tariff A use energy differently from customers on Tariff B?

Is the tariff driving a behavioral change?

The question determines how you should construct your Segments. In this example, you could create one Segment for each tariff using Rate Code under Customer Attributes.

Try to keep other criteria consistent when you want to focus the comparison on a particular characteristic.

Create the Populations​

Create a Segment for each population you want to compare.

When the populations are closely related, cloning can make this easier. Create the first Segment, clone it, and change only the criterion that distinguishes the second population.

For a tariff comparison, you might create:

  • Residential Customers — Tariff A
  • Residential Customers — Tariff B

Both Segments could use the same residential customer criteria while using different Rate Codes.

Compare the Populations in a Report​

Create a new Report or edit an existing Report and add both Segments.

You can now move through the Report to investigate the comparison from different perspectives. Look for meaningful differences between the populations and use the different Impacts to investigate those differences further.

For example, a tariff comparison might reveal a difference in evening demand. You could then investigate whether the populations have different customer characteristics or whether particular load types contribute to the difference.

The goal is not simply to view two populations side by side, but to use the Report to move from observing a difference to understanding what may be contributing to it.

Refine Your Comparison​

Your first comparison may raise additional questions.

If two tariff populations have very different load patterns, for example, you may discover that one contains substantially more commercial customers or customers in a different climate zone.

You can refine the analysis by creating more specific Segments. For example:

All Tariff A vs. All Tariff B

might lead to:

Residential Tariff A vs. Residential Tariff B

and then:

Residential Tariff A in Climate Zone X vs. Residential Tariff B in Climate Zone X

This iterative process lets you investigate whether a difference persists as you make the populations more comparable.

Interpreting Differences​

A difference between Segments shows that the populations have different characteristics. It does not necessarily mean that the attribute used to define the Segments caused the difference.

Customers on different tariff rates, for example, may also differ by geography, building characteristics, technology adoption, sector, or other factors.

Use what you learn from each comparison to refine your Segments and investigate those differences further.