Oracle, provider of cloud technology for the utility industry, achieved the top spot in a Navigant Research Leaderboard report that ranks companies in the home energy management (HEM) space. Oracle Utilities, which acquired Opower in 2016, received the highest ranking in this 2018 report due to significant market penetration of its home energy management solution across 100 utilities and its ability to offer utility companies a comprehensive, end-to-end utility software solution at scale around the world, the company says.

Prior to joining Oracle, Opower was consistently ranked as the top provider since Navigant introduced the HEM Leaderboard. The solution’s capabilities in this category including home energy reports, behavioral demand response, smart meter and rates engagement, billing insights and alerts, and embeddable online tools.

Oracle tells utilities that Opower lets them “get more out of your DSM spend by targeting customers with behavioral energy efficiency programs that drive energy savings and increase customer satisfaction.”

By giving utilities a solution for customers to monitor energy usage, they increase energy efficiency and customer engagement, says Navigant.

In addition to Oracle, Tendril achieved a top ranking. These two companies were named Leaders in the industry. They were followed by: Bidgely, Itron, Whisker Labs, Simple Energy, and geo (Contenders); Apogee, ONZO and Quby (Challengers); and Sense, Neureo, CURB and Smapee (Followers).

The Navigant Research Leaderboard Report examines the strategy and execution of companies that offer HEM software solutions and rates them on 10 criteria: vision, go-to-market strategy, partners, technology, geographic reach, sales and marketing, product performance, product portfolio and integrations, pricing, and staying power.