Forget what you learned in elementary school. Sometimes it’s good to be disruptive.

On Friday, Opower was named by CNBC News as one of five pioneering companies whose innovations are disrupting the energy industry’s status quo. Other winners included LightSail Energy (for its technology that stores heat energy via compressed air) and Picarro (whose diagnostic tools precisely measure greenhouse gas emissions).

What does “disruption” actually mean? In selecting companies for its “Disruptors 50 List” (which spanned ten industries, five companies in each), CNBC asked its panel of venture capitalists and market experts to consider factors like continuous innovation, technology solutions that meet business needs simply and cost-effectively, and the ability to scale quickly.

Opower fit the bill: we are constantly developing products that make it easy for utility customers to save energy and money, and our business and environmental impact is growing fast. We’re now working in seven countries, and with 8 of the 10 biggest utility companies in the US. Already we’ve helped customers around the world save $280 million on their energy bills, and we’re on track to help them save another $150 million this year.

Other companies ranking among CNBC’s Top-50 Disruptors include prominent start-ups like Airbnb, Kickstarter, and Twitter.

For more details, check out the full press release as well as the below video featuring CNBC’s Top 5 Energy Disruptors (with coverage of Opower kicking off at the 1:19 mark).

It’s May 17th, and you know what that means: it’s Bike to Work Day in the Washington DC Metro Area! 

We’re proud to say, however, that in many ways it was just business as usual this morning at Opower headquarters. A lot of us did what we’re accustomed to doing: rolling into work on two wheels.

Opower Bike to Work Day - Group Photo!

All of our offices boast their share of dedicated cyclists. In fact, more of us are pedaling than ever, now that Washington DC and London have well-developed urban bike sharing systems. And even though the City of San Francisco still lacks a full-fledged bike share scheme, our folks there aren’t deterred: on a typical day, a formidable 20% of our ~100 San Francisco Oployees bike into the office!

Wall-to-wall bike storage at our Arlington Headquarters

Given that biking is 50 times more energy efficient than driving a car (in terms of raw energy burned per passenger mile) and infinitely less polluting, we wholeheartedly endorse it and aspire to make it easy and fun for our people. Our offices feature designated bike storage, a growing set of maintenance tools, and even organized group rides in the evenings.

Today, in the spirit of Bike to Work Day, the number of Opower bike riders soared. It didn’t hurt that it was a balmy morning in the DC area. Sources say that many Oployees were motivated by the promise of a free catered breakfast upon arriving by bike (see below). Meanwhile, our behavioral science experts are contending that participation was high mainly thanks to social pressure, since we were told yesterday that “the majority of our colleagues would also be riding into work.”

Breakfast is served to O-Cyclists upon arrival on Bike to Work Day

And of course biking at Opower isn’t only an outdoor or commuting activity: our bi-coastal fleet of blender bikes are always at the ready to whip up a refreshing fruit smoothie. Just add pedal power.

Oployees turning kinetic energy into deliciousness on the blender bikes this morning

Ahhh, how refreshing.

Our Office Manager Donald gulps down a yummy bike-blended smoothie to celebrate Bike to Work Day

Today, Opower and National Grid Rhode Island launched the first ever statewide behavioral energy efficiency program! We celebrated the launch this morning at a customer’s home in Cranston, where we were joined by National Grid RI President Tim Horan.

National Grid RI President Tim Horan announces Opower's first statewide program partnership

Not only will every Rhode Island household receive personalized information about their home energy consumption; they will also have the opportunity to participate in fun challenges with family, friends and coworkers to compare their energy use.

This innovative approach to customer engagement is rooted in the behavioral science concept of social norms, or “peer effects” – the notion that people’s behavior is motivated by what their neighbors are saying and doing. We’ve seen this effect in action ranging from solar panel installation to showing up at the gym. For National Grid Rhode Island, the program is expected to save customers $10 million on their energy bills.

National Grid customer Dionne Nickerson showcases her first Home Energy Report

While every utility customer in Rhode Island will not receive a hard-copy Home Energy Report, they will all have access to a Customer Web Portal and ability to join the Rhode Island Energy Challenge. As part of the challenge, customers will be encouraged to take energy-reducing actions such as scheduling an EnergyWise home energy assessment, installing of LED bulbs, recycling their second refrigerator, and properly programming their thermostat. In addition, the program will ask municipalities, employers and organizations to host a Challenge and invite their constituents/employees to participate (e.g. through a custom Facebook app).

National Grid and Opower have worked together over the past four years to turn a 50,000-customer home energy report pilot in Massachusetts into a core part of National Grid’s energy efficiency and engagement strategy, now reaching 1.6 million National Grid customers across three states. To learn more about the Rhode Island program launch, check out the full press release.