Smile, you’re saving the planet. Energy management company Opower has fused insights about behavioral change—that people are more influenced by peer pressure than by any other incentive—with a unique way of making you use less electricity. Smiley faces are stamped on specially delivered energy reports, and data from neighbors are pooled together for comparison, adding an element of pride (or shame) to your power usage. Evidently it works: A family of four saves about 2.5% more energy on average once its utility teams with Opower. More than 90 utilities are working with the Virginia-based company to reach around 62 million customers. Opower, which went public only last year, had $128 million in revenues in 2014.
