THE STORY

Entergy New Orleans operates the Energy Smart program to help residential customers lower energy use, manage costs, and improve comfort through accessible energy efficiency solutions. As customer participation in traditional lighting rebates declined, the program needed a new approach to sustain engagement while continuing to deliver cost-effective savings. Entergy New Orleans turned to Franklin Energy to help identify and deploy a solution that aligned with customer interests and program performance goals.

THE GOAL

With the phaseout of LED lighting rebates, Entergy New Orleans faced a critical challenge: replacing a proven savings driver without increasing overall program costs. The utility sought a solution that could deliver comparable energy savings per unit, maintain a historical target of approximately $0.40 per kWh saved, and reengage customers who had become harder to reach through conventional offerings. Just as importantly, the solution needed to create new entry points into the Energy Smart program and support broader customer awareness of energy efficiency opportunities.

THE SOLUTION AND RESULTS

Franklin Energy designed and launched a targeted Energy Smart Marketplace promotion centered on a high-efficiency tabletop air purifier offered at no cost to eligible customers. The product was selected for its strong energy performance, year-round usage, and added health and wellness benefits—features beyond traditional energy savings that resonated with customers.

To drive participation while controlling costs, Franklin Energy implemented a phased, data-informed marketing strategy. Early outreach focused on in-person community engagement and targeted email campaigns, using customer segmentation to prioritize households with the greatest savings potential. As customer interest grew, the promotion expanded through additional digital and direct mail outreach, ensuring broad awareness without relying heavily on paid advertising.

The approach delivered rapid results. Customer response accelerated dramatically, culminating in more than 2,800 units ordered within six days through organic social media and community networks. In total, nearly 4,000 products were distributed, generating more than 910,000 kWh in energy savings and pushing the program past 80% of its annual savings goal well ahead of schedule.