OPower’s software-as-a-service helps electric and gas utilities understand who their residential energy consumers are, and how they are using power. Home owners get access to OPower programs through their utilities. OPower’s applications let them see if they’re more or less energy-hogging than their neighbors, allow them to set personal goals to reduce their own energy consumption at home, and receive alerts if they’re headed for a large bill at the end of the month among other things that are meant to inspire a behavior change.

OPower’s chief executive Dan Yates jokes, “We get paid to tell people to turn out the lights and turn down the thermostat.” OPower’s series C deal came together in just six weeks and closed on Thanksgiving eve Yates said. Accel and KPCB contributed equal amounts.

The company will use its new found capital, the CEO said, to “Radically expand our R&D effort, bring 50 more people on board, and above all, to build more product.” Yates would not elaborate on what specific features and applications the company sought to release in 2011. He said most of the new product would be designed for energy consumers, rather than utilities. (OPower also provides utilities with a system to help customer service reps manage relationships and handle inquiries.)

Currently, OPower’s 45 clients are all U.S.-based utilities. OPower has had lots of inbound inquiries, Yates said, including from foreign utilities beyond North America, but hasn’t decided where to set up overseas operations.

The approach of using peer-pressure to drive more environmentally sensitive behavior at home could work well in nations like South Korea, where the cost of trash collection already goes up for an entire community when someone within it— including, embarassing Americans— fails to keep recycling and refuse separated.

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Authors: Lora Kolodny

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