You can’t blame OPOWER for tooting its own horn. It says only two utilities in the nation are poised to roll out full-scale customer-facing solutions for their smart grid in the next year, and OPOWER’s Advanced Customer Engagement (ACE) platform was selected by both of them.

Baltimore Gas and Electric will use OPOWER’s home energy management solution for its smart meter deployment that will eventually cover all 1.2 million BGE customers. Pacific Gas & Electric, which you’ve got to figure stewed long and hard over which solution to offer its customers, will also roll out ACE. At last count that means OPOWER has 55 utility customers covering almost 10 million homes.

Other companies are doing interesting work in the energy management space, for instance Tendril and EcoFactor. So why does OPOWER seem to be separating itself from the crowd? Is it their multi-channel approach to consumer engagement? Their emphasis on behavior-based energy efficiency?

If you want deeper insights into OPOWER's success, take a few moments to review Jesse Berst's video interview with the company's marketing and strategy VP Ogi Kavazovic. We think you'll be particularly interested in his comments on when in-home displays will catch on. (Hint: never.)

0:00 The OPOWER elevator pitch. Ogi explains why the company sees its role as engaging customers for energy efficiency.

1:00 Unlocking the black box. Helping customers figure out what the bill means and what to do about it with customized recommendation.

2:30 Consumer backlash and the urgent need to engage customers.

3:12 Meeting mandates. How utilities can satisfy ever rising energy efficiency mandates.

4:15 The PG&E screwup. What was missing from PG&E's approach.

4:30 The utility that really gets it. Ogi cites a utility that is currently doing "a tremendous job" of consumer engagement and what is working for them.

6:00 Full transparency and why it is the future of energy efficiency.

6:45 In-home displays and why they may never be needed.

7:00 Measuring up. Who OPOWER measures itself against (against another industry, not against other companies)

Jesse Berst, founder and chief analyst of Smart Grid News, has been covering smart grid technology and marketing trends for the past decade.