Having the right tools goes beyond any type of building project. Understanding how to use the tools you do have can add significant benefit – and offer possible savings. Take for example, your online account with I&M. Aside from making a recent payment, are you taking advantage of the various features the platform offers?

Designed for Your Home

For those thinking all online accounts are the same, get ready – this one is unique to your own home. To determine the most accurate representation of information for your home, a home energy profile should be completed. Through a series of questions, including source of your home’s heat, size of home, type of air conditioning unit, typical thermostat settings and how many people live in the home, a complete personal profile will be created to match your unique home. Additionally, those completing the home energy profile will receive a free kit with energy-saving tools. Kits are limited to one per I&M account every three years.   

As a homeowner, have you explored where and when you are using energy? Do you know how that compares to others with similar homes? Upon completion of the home energy profile, your usage is broken down to highlight where energy is being used, such as laundry or electronics. Further, you can see when those peaks occur and how your home compares to others with similar qualities. So for those doing loads of laundry after the kids go to bed, or if you tend to fall asleep with the TV on, those peaks are noted in those respective times of day. At the completion of a month, look back at your overall energy use. Was it less or more than last month? A further understanding of a kilowatt hour can be found here.

Tips to Offer Savings

With more information, comes more power. Or the potential for savings. As your account dissects where or when you use the most energy, data from your home energy profile will generate possible energy saving tips. High use from your air conditioner? Adjust your thermostat to a higher temperature when no one is home or when you sleep. Noticing high usage related to electronics? Consider using a smart power strip to reduce “phantom” energy. The tips available in an online account are unique to the information completed in your home energy profile. Additional energy saving tips can be found here. 

Communication with Homeowners in Mind

Homeowners with installed smart meters can receive weekly reports, outlining energy usage and available energy programs. These reports will also compare previous energy use to your most recent. Notifications also include high bill alerts, which forward the percentage above your average payment beginning at 25%. Homeowners can customize the notifications they most want to receive.

Remember to Update

For any update to contact information, whether that be a phone number or email, make sure to reflect these changes within your account. These pieces of information are vital to informing customers of planned outages or other necessary communication. Without accurate contact information, we are not able to connect when the need arises.

Available to Help

Should customers run into issues with their online account settings or have other questions related to their online account, please visit the contact page on our website or call our Customer Solutions Center at 800-311-4634 in Indiana and 800-311-6424 in Michigan.