Insights
Data Inputs & Configurations Guide
About This Guide
This guide explains the data inputs and configuration settings required to enable FLEX Insights. It outlines the datasets needed to populate the platform and the configuration options available to support segmentation, forecasting, and analysis. It also describes how these elements align with the workflows for utility planning, program design, and regulatory analysis.
Insights Overview
Population Analytics and Scenario Modeling
FLEX Insights enables analysis of energy usage across an entire service territory. Using interval metering data and customer metadata, the platform allows utility teams to segment customer populations, analyze load characteristics, and evaluate demand side opportunities.
Once configured, Insights supports workflows such as segmentation, forecasting, and scenario modeling. By combining interval load data with customer and site attributes, users can explore energy usage patterns, evaluate potential program impacts, and analyze how technologies or interventions may influence future load.
Using Insights, you’ll know:
- How energy usage varies across customer segments, building types, and rate classes
- Which customer populations present the greatest opportunity for demand-side programs
- How energy usage characteristics differ by geography, climate zone, or grid node
- How potential interventions such as electrification, solar, storage, or efficiency may influence future load
- How demand-side opportunities align with grid planning or system constraints
Core Data
Below are the core data needed to populate Insights:
| CATEGORY | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| Interval Load Data | Hourly or 15-minute electric interval data and daily gas interval data for all service points in the territory. This data provides the observed load used to calculate and disaggregate usage characteristics and project scenario modeling for Insights. Historical data from up to one year before the data pull should be provided to calibrate models. Quarterly refreshes are included with the Insights feature. |
| Customer Metadata | Foundational customer and site attributes that allow segmentation and contextual analysis. These fields enable the filtering for targeting across various customer types, rate structures, and equity groups. Customer metadata will be refreshed quarterly for the entire service territory population dataset to ensure that new accounts, tariff changes, and classification updates are captured. This dataset should be updated in sync with any interval data refreshes. Fields: • Service account ID • Utility’s Premise or location ID • Customer class (residential, commercial, industrial) • Tariff or rate schedule • Income or equity flag (e.g., CARE/FERA, low-income indicator) • Building type or NAICS sector code • Climate zone • Net metering • Distribution system nodes • Additional metadata fields based on custom filter desires |
Insights Configuration
| CONFIGURATION AREA | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| General Insights Configuration | Insights configuration options are listed below: Configuration: • Peak hours • Additional datasets for custom filters |