Patent Publication Number: US-2018047047-A1

Title: Systems and Methods for Use in Incentivizing Consumers to Adjust Utility Usage

Description:
FIELD 
     The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for use in incentivizing consumers to adjust utility usage, and in particular, for permitting utility providers to offer challenges, in which consumers are awarded incentives for completing the challenges and adjusting utility usage. 
     BACKGROUND 
     This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art. 
     Utilities such as gas, electricity, and water, etc. are often offered for sale by utility providers to premises. The utilities are then used by consumers, or other people, associated with the premises for various purposes, including, for example, heating, cooling, lighting, entertainment, hobbies, etc. The utility providers typically incur costs in connection with providing the utilities, be it associated with directly providing the utilities to the consumers or with purchasing utilities from other providers during peak use times. The costs, then, are reimbursed to the utility providers, in whole or in part, by rates paid by the consumers using the utilities. 
    
    
     
       DRAWINGS 
       The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an exemplary system of the present disclosure suitable for use in incentivizing consumers to adjust usage of utilities offered by a utility provider; 
         FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a computing device that may be used in the exemplary system of  FIG. 1 ; 
         FIG. 3  is an exemplary method, suitable for use with the system of  FIG. 1 , for incenting consumers to adjust utility usage; 
         FIGS. 4-6  are exemplary interfaces that may be displayed in connection with the system of  FIG. 1  and/or the method of  FIG. 3 , for permitting a utility provider to view and/or create challenges in connection with incentivizing consumers to adjust utility usage; and 
         FIGS. 7-9  are exemplary interfaces that may be displayed in connection with the system of  FIG. 1  and/or the method of  FIG. 3 , for permitting a consumer to view and/or accept challenges created by a utility provider in connection with adjusting utility usage; 
         FIGS. 10-11C  are exemplary interfaces that may be displayed in connection with the system of  FIG. 1  and/or the method of  FIG. 3 , for permitting a consumer to view and/or redeem incentives awarded by a utility provider for completed challenges in connection with adjusting utility usage; and 
         FIGS. 12A-12B  are exemplary interfaces that may be displayed in connection with the system of  FIG. 1  and/or the method of  FIG. 3 , for permitting a consumer to view and/or pay bills issued by a utility provider in connection utility usage by the consumer; and. 
     
    
    
     Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. The description and specific examples included herein are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. 
     Utilities are provided to consumers at their premises, for example, through utility providers. The utility providers supply the utilities at certain costs, which may include costs associated with generating and/or processing the utilities, or cost associated with purchasing the utilities from other providers, for example, when experiencing energy shortages during peak usage times. Consequently, profits associated with supplying the utilities to customers, or to other utility providers, are typically based on costs associated with the utilities themselves and further on rates the utility providers are able to charge consumers for the utilities. As such, utility providers may control profits by controlling supplies of the utilities, which, as can be appreciated, are dependent on usage by customers. Uniquely, the systems and methods herein provide for incentivizing consumers to alter their utility usages and potentially reduce consumption. In particular, challenges are created by utility providers and directed to the consumers, offering incentives for the consumers to alter usage of utilities in certain manners. For example, a utility provider may provide a challenge to a consumer to reduce electricity usages over a short interval (e.g., over a two hour interval, an eight hour interval, a day; etc.), offering a rebate or other incentive for completion of the challenge. In this manner, and through the challenges, utility providers may be able to conserve supplies of utilities and, in turn, control, at least in part, their profitability. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an exemplary system  100 , in which the one or more aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented. Although the system  100  is presented in one arrangement, other embodiments may include the parts of the system  100  (or other parts) arranged otherwise depending on, for example, processing of transactions in the system  100 , provision of utilities to consumers in the system  100 , etc. 
     The system  100  generally includes a merchant  102 , an acquirer  104 , a payment network  106 , an issuer  108 , and a utility provider  110 , each coupled to (and in communication with) network  112 . The network  112  may include, without limitation, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN) (e.g., the Internet, etc.), a mobile network, a virtual network, and/or another suitable public and/or private network capable of supporting communication among two or more of the parts illustrated in  FIG. 1 , or any combination thereof. For example, network  112  may include multiple different networks, such as a private payment transaction network made accessible by the payment network  106  to the acquirer  104  and the issuer  108  and, separately, the public Internet, which may provide interconnection between one or more of the merchant  102 , the payment network  106 , and a consumer  118  (or a communication device  120  associated with the consumer  118 ), etc. 
     The utility provider  110  of the system  100  provides utilities to premises  114 . As used herein, the utility provider  110  may include, for example, an electric company, a water company, a gas company, a telecommunications company, a waste removal company, combinations thereof, or any other utility company/provider, which may desire to effect the supply of utilities or services (broadly, utilities) to customers (broadly, consumers). In the illustrated embodiment, for example, the utility provider  110  provides an electric utility to multiple premises, including premises  114 . The premises  114  may be any type of premises including, without limitation, a residential home, a condominium, an apartment, a commercial property, an office building, combinations/collections thereof, etc. In addition, while only one utility provider  110  is illustrated in  FIG. 1 , it should be appreciated that the system  100  may include multiple utility providers, with the premises  114  receiving utilities such as, for example, water, gas, etc., from the multiple utility providers. Similarly, the system  100  may include multiple premises, with the utility provider  110  providing one or more utilities to the multiple premises. 
     Also in the system  100 , the premises  114  includes multiple utility devices  116   a - d , each included at the premises, as indicated by the dotted oval in  FIG. 1 . The utility devices  116   a - d  may be located as desired or necessary at the premises  114 , for example, inside or outside a structure at the premises  114 , etc. For example, in the system  100 , utility device  116   a  includes a thermostat device, while utility devises  116   b - c  are light bulb devices and utility device  116   d  is an elevator device. It should be appreciated that the premises  114  may include any desired utility devices within the scope of the present disclosure that use utilities and/or are associated with usage of utilities by another device. 
     The utility devices  116   a - d  of the premises  114  are coupled via a network (e.g., a home kit, etc.), as indicated by the dotted lines in  FIG. 1 . Often, the utility devices  116   a - d  will be connected to one or more hub devices (not shown), which are in turn connected to the network  112 . In the illustrated embodiment, the premises  114  is associated with the consumer  118 , who is in turn associated with communication device  120 . As shown, each of the utility devices  116   a - d  is also connected, via one or more networks (e.g., as part of the home kit, etc.), to the communication device  120 , which in turn is connected to (and is in communication with) the network  112 . Specifically, the device hub and/or the communication device  120  may be configured, as an integrated system (e.g., as the home kit, as part of the home kit, etc.), for example, to control and/or monitor the utility devices  116   a - d  and/or utility usage thereof. For example, lights, temperature, entertainment, cold water, hot water, operation, etc. may be controlled by the integrated system. By connecting the device hub and/or the communication device  120  to the network  112 , it is permitted for the consumer  118  and/or another person/entity to control and/or monitor the utility devices  116   a - d  and other devices at the premises  114  (and, thus, utility usage by the consumer  118  and/or the premises  114 ). 
     With continued reference to  FIG. 1 , generally in system  100 , the merchant  102  offers for sale, and sells, products (e.g., goods and/or services, etc.) to consumers, including the consumer  118 . The products may include any type of products to be purchased by the consumers and may further relate to the utility provider  110  (and utilities provided thereby) or not. In at least one embodiment, the utility provider  110  is considered a merchant, consistent with merchant  102 , in its offer for sale, and sale, of utilities to consumers, including, the consumer  118 . 
     Additionally, the consumer  118  is associated with a payment account through which the consumer  118  is able to fund purchases of products, including, for example, utilities. In one example, the consumer  118  provides payment credentials associated with the payment account to the utility provider  110 , whereby the consumer  118  provides recurring payments to the utility provider  110  in the amount owed for utilities for the prior month (or for another interval), or for a later month (or another interval), etc. A recurring payment may further be coordinated in the system  100  by the consumer  118  with the merchant  102 . Additionally, or alternatively, payment credentials may be provided to the merchant  102  and/or the utility provider  110 , in person or via the network  112 , for funding one-time purchases, etc. (although, it should be appreciated that other forms of funding may be used in combination with the disclosure herein). 
     In one exemplary transaction, the consumer  118  provides payment credentials associated with the consumer&#39;s payment account (e.g., a primary account number (PAN), an expiration date, a CVV, etc.) to the merchant  102  (as a single or recurring payment), in exchange for desired products. In turn, the merchant  102  submits an authorization request to the acquirer  104  (associated with the merchant  102 ) for the transaction. The authorization request is transmitted along path A in the system  100 , as referenced in  FIG. 1 . The acquirer  104  communicates the authorization request with the issuer  108  (associated with the consumer&#39;s payment account), through the payment network  106 , such as, for example, through MasterCard®, VISA®, Discover®, American Express®, etc. The issuer  108  is configured to determine whether the consumer&#39;s payment account is in good standing and whether there is sufficient funds and/or credit to cover the transaction. In turn, if the issuer  108  approves the transaction, an authorization reply or response (indicating the approval of the transaction) is transmitted back from the issuer  108  to the merchant  102 , along path A, thereby permitting the merchant  102  to complete the transaction. The transaction is later cleared and/or settled (via appropriate transaction messages such as clearing messages and/or settlement messages) by and between the merchant  102 , the acquirer  104 , and the issuer  108  (by appropriate agreements). If the transaction is declined, however, the authorization reply (indicating a decline of the transaction) is provided back to the merchant  102 , along the path A, thereby permitting the merchant  102  to halt or terminate the transaction or request other forms of payment. 
     Transaction data is generated, collected, and stored as part of the above interactions among the merchant  102 , the acquirer  104 , the payment network  106 , the issuer  108 , and the consumer  118 . The transaction data represents at least a plurality of transactions, for example, authorized transactions, cleared and/or settled transactions, attempted transactions, etc. The transaction data, in this exemplary embodiment, is stored at least by the payment network  106  (e.g., in a data structure associated with the payment network  106 , etc.). Additionally, or alternatively, the acquirer  104  and/or the issuer  108  may store the transaction data, or part thereof, in a data structure, or transaction data may be transmitted between parts of system  100  as used or needed. As used herein, transaction data may include, for example (and without limitation), PANs for consumers involved in the transactions, amounts of the transactions, merchant IDs for merchants involved in the transactions, merchant category codes (MCCs), dates/times of the transactions, incentives used (e.g., rebates, discounts, etc.), etc. It should be appreciated that more or less information related to transactions, as part of either authorization or clearing and/or settling, may be included in transaction records and stored within the system  100 , at the merchant  102 , the acquirer  104 , the payment network  106  and/or the issuer  108 . 
     In various exemplary embodiments, consumers (e.g., consumer  118 , etc.) involved in the different transactions herein are prompted to agree to legal terms associated with their payment accounts, for example, during enrollment in their accounts, etc. In so doing, the consumers may voluntarily agree, for example, to allow merchants, issuers, payment networks, utility providers, etc., to use data collected during enrollment and/or collected in connection with processing the transactions herein, subsequently for one or more of the different purposes described herein. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary computing device  200  that can be used in the system  100 . The computing device  200  may include, for example, one or more servers, workstations, personal computers, POS terminals, laptops, tablets, smartphones, PDAs, utility devices, etc. In addition, the computing device  200  may include a single computing device, or it may include multiple computing devices located in close proximity or distributed over a geographic region, so long as the computing devices are specifically configured to function as described herein. However, the system  100  should not be considered to be limited to the computing device  200 , as described below, as different computing devices and/or arrangements of computing devices may be used. In addition, different components and/or arrangements of components may be used in other computing devices. 
     In the system  100  illustrated in  FIG. 1 , each of the merchant  102 , the acquirer  104 , the payment network  106 , the issuer  108 , and the utility provider  110  are illustrated as including, or being implemented in, computing device  200 , coupled to (and in communication with) the network  112 . In addition, the communication device  120  associated with the consumer  118 , as well as one or more of the utility devices  116   a - d , may each be considered a computing device consistent with computing device  200 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the exemplary computing device  200  includes a processor  202  and a memory  204  coupled to (and in communication with) the processor  202 . The processor  202  may include one or more processing units (e.g., in a multi-core configuration, etc.). For example, the processor  202  may include, without limitation, a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), a gate array, and/or any other circuit or processor capable of the functions described herein. 
     The memory  204 , as described herein, is one or more devices that permit data, instructions, etc., to be stored therein and retrieved therefrom. The memory  204  may include one or more computer-readable storage media, such as, without limitation, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), read only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), solid state devices, flash drives, CD-ROMs, thumb drives, floppy disks, tapes, hard disks, and/or any other type of volatile or nonvolatile physical or tangible computer-readable media. The memory  204  may be configured to store, without limitation, transaction data, utility usage data, challenges, incentives offered and/or used, premises profiles, and/or other types of data (and/or data structures) suitable for use as described herein. Furthermore, in various embodiments, computer-executable instructions may be stored in the memory  204  for execution by the processor  202  to cause the processor  202  to perform one or more of the functions described herein, such that the memory  204  is a physical, tangible, and non-transitory computer readable storage media. Such instructions often improve the efficiencies and/or performance of the processor  202  that is performing one or more of the various operations herein. It should be appreciated that the memory  204  may include a variety of different memories, each implemented in connection with one or more of the functions or processes described herein. 
     In the exemplary embodiment, the computing device  200  also includes a presentation unit  206  that is coupled to (and in communication with) the processor  202  (however, it should be appreciated that the computing device  200  could include output devices other than the presentation unit  206 , etc.). The presentation unit  206  outputs information (e.g., challenges, etc.), visually, for example, to a user of the computing device  200 , such as the consumer  118  in the system  100  (e.g., via communication device  120 , etc.); etc. It should be further appreciated that various interfaces (e.g., as defined by internet-based applications, websites, etc.) may be displayed at computing device  200 , and in particular at presentation unit  206 , to display certain information to the user. The presentation unit  206  may include, without limitation, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light-emitting diode (LED) display, an organic LED (OLED) display, an “electronic ink” display, speakers, etc. In some embodiments, presentation unit  206  includes multiple devices. Additionally or alternatively, the presentation unit  206  may include printing capability, enabling the computing device  200  to print text, images, and the like on paper and/or other similar media. 
     In addition, the computing device  200  includes an input device  208  that receives inputs from the user (i.e., user inputs) such as, for example, premises information, challenge information, utility usage data, etc. The input device  208  may include a single input device or multiple input devices. The input device  208  is coupled to (and is in communication with) the processor  202  and may include, for example, one or more of a keyboard, a pointing device, a mouse, a stylus, a magnetic stripe reader, a touch sensitive panel (e.g., a touch pad or a touch screen, etc.), another computing device, and/or an audio input device. Further, in various exemplary embodiments, a touch screen, such as that included in a tablet, a smartphone, or similar device, behaves as both a presentation unit and an input device. 
     Further, the illustrated computing device  200  also includes a network interface  210  coupled to (and in communication with) the processor  202  and the memory  204 . The network interface  210  may include, without limitation, a wired network adapter, a wireless network adapter, a mobile network adapter, or other device capable of communicating to one or more different networks, including the network  112 . Further, in some exemplary embodiments, the computing device  200  includes the processor  202  and one or more network interfaces incorporated into or with the processor  202 . 
     Referring again to  FIG. 1 , the system  100  also includes an incentive engine  122 . The incentive engine  122  is specifically configured, by computer executable instructions (for example, as provided below), to perform one or more of the operations described herein. The incentive engine  122  may be considered to be consistent with the computing device  200 . In addition, the incentive engine  122  is illustrated as a stand-alone device in the system  100 , and which is accessible to the communication device  120  via one or more application programing interfaces (APIs) (e.g., through a network-based application associated with the merchant  102 , with the payment network  106 , with the utility provider  110 , etc.). However, as indicated by the solid arrow lines in  FIG. 1  extending therefrom, the incentive engine  122  may alternatively be associated with, or incorporated with, the merchant  102 , the payment network  106 , and/or the utility provider  110  (and accessible directly and/or via one or more APIs, etc.). Further, in various other embodiments, it should be appreciated that the incentive engine  122  may be associated with, or incorporated with (in whole or in part), still other parts of the system  100 , for example, the acquirer  106 , the issuer  108 , etc. 
     The system  100  further includes a data structure  124 , which is coupled to the incentive engine  122  (and/or incorporated into the incentive engine  122 ). The data structure  124  may be included in a computing device consistent with computing device  200 , or may be included in a memory, consistent with, for example, memory  204  (either as part of the computing device associated with the incentive engine  122  or apart therefrom). 
     The data structure  124  may be segregated into multiple different data structures including, for example, a utility provider data structure, a consumer data structure, and a challenge data structure. An exemplary utility provider data structure may include, without limitation, names of utility providers, addresses, contact information, consumer listings, geographic operating regions, utilities provided, account information (e.g., for receipt of utility payments from consumers, etc.), etc. (broadly, utility profiles, etc.). An exemplary consumer data structure, which is compiled (or further compiled) when consumers register with the incentive engine  122 , may include, without limitation, names of consumers, addresses of premises associated with the consumers, one or more consumer preferences related to challenges, etc. (broadly, consumer profiles, etc.). And, an exemplary challenge data structure may include, without limitation, different challenges, where each includes an adjustment to a utility usage (e.g., a reduction, etc.), an incentive (e.g., a reward, other incentive, etc.), a time interval (e.g., a predefined interval, multiple predefined intervals, repetitive intervals, etc.) for the adjustment, restrictions on challenge eligibility based on consumers and/or premises, etc. These and other data structures (either included as part of the data structure  124  or separate therefrom) may include further data suitable for use as described herein. 
     In general in the system  100 , the incentive engine  122  is configured in various manners to facilitate challenges to consumers to alter usage of utilities. For example, the incentive engine  122  is configured to facilitate the registration of the utility provider  110  (e.g., to compile the utility provider data structure in the data structure  124 , etc.), whereby the utility provider  110  is able to compile/activate/deactivate challenges to consumers (e.g., to further compile the challenge data structure in the data structure  124 , etc.), including to consumer  118 , and/or view details of the challenges, acceptance and competition, as well as the incentives awarded. The incentive engine  122  is configured to also register consumers (including consumer  118 ) to receive challenges (e.g., to compile the consumer data structure in the data structure  124 , etc.), which includes, for example, registering the premises  114  associated with the consumer  118  (and/or the utility devices  116   a - d  at the premises  114  that may be involved in the challenges). The incentive engine  122  is configured to further deliver challenges (from the data structure  124 ), to the consumers (including the consumer  118 ), to receive the consumers&#39; acceptance of the challenge(s), to effect changes to utility devices at the consumers&#39; premises (e.g., devices  116   a - d  at the premises  114 , etc.) based on acceptance of the challenges (and based on a consumer profile in data structure  124 ), to verify/determine the challenges are completed, and to award incentives when the challenges are completed. 
     In particular, the incentive engine  122  may be configured to create an incentive (e.g., a challenge associated with an incentive, etc.) for the consumer  118 , update the challenge and/or incentive, and delete the challenge and/or incentive, independently or upon direction from the utility provider  110 , as defined, for example, by the following exemplary instructions: 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                 IncentiveEngine.create(′description′, ′amount′ , ′rebateType, ′enabled) { 
               
               
                   Incentive.create(′description′,′amount′,′rebateType′,′enabled′).save( ) 
               
               
                   return successMessage 
               
               
                 } 
               
               
                 IncentiveEngine.update(′id′, ′description′, ′amount′ , ′rebateType, ′enabled) { 
               
               
                   Incentive.find(id).update(′description′, ′amount′ , ′rebateType, ′enabled) 
               
               
                   return successMessage 
               
               
                 } 
               
               
                 IncentiveEngine.delete(′id′) { 
               
               
                   Incentive.find(id).delete( ) 
               
               
                   return successMessage 
               
               
                 } 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     In addition, the incentive engine  122  may be configured to provide (e.g., push, etc.) the challenges and incentives to the consumer  118  via a network-based application at the consumer&#39;s communication device  120 , as well as update the utility devices  116   a - d  at the consumers&#39; premises  114  (broadly, update the home kit associated with the devices  116   a - d ) in response to a selection of one of the challenges by the consumer and determine when the selected one of the challenges is complete, as defined by the following exemplary instructions: 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
             
               
                   
                   
               
             
            
               
                   
                   
                 IncentiveEngine.get( ){ 
               
               
                   
                   
                   Incentive.list( ) 
               
               
                   
                   
                 } 
               
               
                   
                   
                 HomeKit.update(′incentiveId′){ 
               
               
                   
                   
                   Incentive.get(′incentiveId′).apply( ) 
               
               
                   
                   
                 } 
               
               
                   
                   
                 IncentiveEngine.complete(′Id,′customerId′){ 
               
               
                   
                   
                   Customer.get(′customerId′).completeIncentive(′id′) 
               
               
                   
                   
                 } 
               
               
                   
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     It should be appreciated that the above code segments are exemplary only, and illustrative of operations described herein, but may be altered and/or expanded upon to perform other operations described herein, or as necessary or desired, and/or to perform operations in one or more different manners. 
     It should also be appreciated that the manner in which the incentive engine  122  is configured is dependent, at least in part, on where and/or how the incentive engine  122  is implemented in the system  100  (e.g., in the utility provider  110 , etc.). 
     In addition, while the system  100  is described in connection with the utility provider  110  and utility services, it should be appreciated that the system  100  may also include (with the features thereof also being applicable to) other providers that desire to incentivize consumers to reduce certain usage of products and/or services associated with the providers. As an example, such a provider may include an insurance company, where the insurance company may be able to reduce premiums for consumers based on uptime of security systems being armed for premises associated with the consumers (including automobiles, etc.). 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary method  300  of incentivizing consumers to adjust utility usage. The exemplary method  300  is described herein in connection with the system  100 , and may be implemented in the incentive engine  122  of the system  100 . Further, for purposes of illustration, the exemplary method  300  is also described with reference to computing device  200 . However, it should be appreciated that the method  300 , or other methods described herein, are not limited to the system  100 , or computing device  200 . And, conversely, the systems and computing devices described herein are not limited to the exemplary method  300 . 
     In addition, the method  300  is described with reference to multiple exemplary interfaces, including interfaces to be displayed to the utility provider  110  (e.g., at presentation unit  206  of computing device  200 , etc.) and interfaces to be displayed to the consumer  118  (e.g., at communication device  120 , etc.). Specifically,  FIGS. 4-6  include interfaces  400 - 600 , which enable the utility provider  110  to view status and/or compile challenges, while  FIGS. 7-12B  include interfaces  700 - 1200 , which permit the consumer  118  to interact with the incentive engine  122  and/or otherwise perform operations described herein. However, the method  300 , and more generally the methods and systems described herein, should not be understood to be limited to the exemplary interfaces  400 - 1200  provided herein, as other interfaces may be provided from or by the incentive engine  122  in other embodiments. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , initially in the method  300 , the utility provider  110  registers, at  302 , to the incentive engine  122 . Registration may include, for example, the utility provider logging into a website or internet-based application associated with the incentive engine  122  and providing pertinent (or not pertinent) information about the utility provider  110 , its customers and/or premises served, etc., such as, for example, names, addresses, service regions, etc. Once registered, the utility provider  110  is able to access a utility provider profile (e.g., upon log in, etc.) and view information relevant to the utility provider  110 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary dashboard interface  400  (e.g., displayed to a user associated with the utility provider  110  in connection with the internet-based application associated with the incentive engine  122 , etc.), which provides various information to the utility provider  110 , including, for example, the number of challenges offered, the number of challenges accepted, and the number of rewards (broadly, incentives) redeemed. The dashboard interface  400  further permits the utility provider  110  to view transaction volume, which relates, for example, to a number of bills issued by the utility provider  110  and the total amount of bills collected. It is contemplated that in some embodiments the consumer  118  (and other consumers serviced by the utility provider  110 ) may be auto-billed by the utility provider  110  for utilities, with the utility provider  110  then able to monitor and managing such billing through the interface  400 , for example, via the transaction volume indicator and an overall transactions chart. 
     Beyond providing such information for the utility provider  110 , the dashboard interface  400  of  FIG. 4  also permits the utility provider  110  to select various options along the left portion of the interface  400  relating to, for example, challenges, rebates, customers, and configurations. For example, the utility provider  110  may create challenges, edit challenges, activate challenges, deactivate challenges, delete challenges, etc. Upon selection of one of the options, a further interface is then displayed to the utility provider  110  relating to the desired selection. 
     For example,  FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary challenges interface  500  displayed to the utility provider  110  upon selection of the “Challenges” option from the interface  400 . As shown, the challenges interface  500  includes numerous exemplary challenges available for submission to consumers, such as, “Candlelight dinner tonight,” “Time to open the windows,” “Take the stairs for your daily workout,” etc. Each challenge includes details  502  thereof, which provide a description of the challenge and indicate the utility usage adjustment required for the challenge and, often, the resulting reward. For example, the “Candlelight dinner tonight” challenge calls for light bulbs to be powered off between 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm., in exchange for $2.00 off the consumer&#39;s utility bill (or statement). In other embodiments, such a challenge may include “Lights out for lunch,” where a similar challenge (e.g., powering off light bulbs, etc.) is provided with a different time constraint and/or activity constraint (e.g., during lunch time instead of dinner time, etc.). As such, it should be appreciated that the different challenges described herein (and challenges in general as contemplated by the present disclosure) may be similar in scope (i.e., may be directed to similar utility/energy-conservation actions) but may include different time and/or activity constraints for implementing and/or achieving the actions. Further, through the dashboard interface  400  ( FIG. 4 ), for example, the utility provider  110  may edit one or more existing challenges to change the time and/or activity constraints in this manner (e.g., to a different activity such as lunch verses dinner, to a different time of day, to a different day, etc.). 
     The challenge interface  500  also includes, for each challenge, an amount  504  identifying participation, a status (i.e., active/inactive)  506 , and an edit option  508 . More particularly, the amount  504  is indicative of the number of consumers that have completed the particular challenge. The status  506  indicates whether the challenge is active (e.g., whether the challenge is available to be delivered to and/or retrieved by consumers, etc.) or inactive (which may be changed by the utility provider  110 , as desired), and the edit option  508  permits the utility provider  110  to edit the challenge (e.g., increase rewards, delete a challenge, etc.). In some embodiments, the challenge interface  500  may also include a column identifying a number of consumers who have attempted a challenge, to thereby provide an indicator of how successful consumers are at meeting the objective of the challenge. In addition, the challenge interface  500  includes an “ADD” option  510 , through which the utility provider  110  is able to add new challenges. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates an exemplary rewards interface  600  displayed to the utility provider  110  (for example, by the incentive engine  122 ) upon selection of the “Rewards” option from the interface  400 . As shown, the rewards interface  600  includes a listing of all rewards that have been issued to consumers for completion of challenges provided by the utility provider  110 . In particular, the listing includes, for each reward, an identification number for the reward, a reward type (e.g., cash, rebate, voucher, etc.), a reward amount, and a name of the particular consumer to whom the reward was issued (and/or other consumer identifier). For example, in the first row of the listing, a $10 cash reward (having rebate ID  4 ) has been issued to J. Doe. In some embodiments, the rewards interface  600  may further include in the listing of rewards (or may include as a separate listing) an indication of the rewards that have actually been accepted (or redeemed) by the consumers, dates on which the rewards were issued and/or accepted (or redeemed), a status of the issued rewards (e.g., issued, accepted, etc.), etc. 
     Referring again to  FIG. 3 , once registered, the utility provider  110  can add or edit or activate/deactivate or delete a challenge, utilizing its utility provider profile (e.g., via the challenges interface  500 , etc.). In so doing, the utility provider  110  compiles the challenges, at  304 . The utility provider  110  can then activate one or more of the challenges, at  306 , to be delivered to consumers (e.g., consumers within the utility provider&#39;s profile, etc.) to encourage various different adjustments to utility usage. When activating a challenge, the utility provider  110  may, for example, specify a region to which the challenge is to be delivered and/or other criteria that would be inclusive of certain consumers (or premises), while exclusive of others (e.g., based on historical acceptance of challenges, historical utility usage, consumer permissions, etc.). In addition, the utility provider  110  may particularly target new homeowners to increase awareness of potential utility conservation projects, or certain regions to promote, increase, and/or improve public relations in those certain regions. Alternatively, a challenge may be active for all consumers included in the utility provider&#39;s profile. In addition, if desired, the utility provider  110  may deactivate one or more challenges, for example, via its profile. 
     Separately in the method  300 , the consumer  118  (and the consumer&#39;s premises  114 ) registers, at  308 , with the incentive engine  122 . The registration may be coordinated through a network-based application installed at the communication device  120 , for example, or the consumer  118  may interact and/or register with the incentive engine  122  in other manners. As an example, the registration may be accomplished via one or more interfaces (not shown), displayed at the consumer&#39;s communication device  120 , through which the consumer  118  provides various information, including, without limitation, name, address of the premises  114 , identification of the utility provider  110  (or multiple utility providers) associated with the premises  114 , challenge preferences, permissions, etc. (e.g., as part of a profile for the consumer  118 , etc.). 
     In addition, during registration of the consumer  118  to the incentive engine  122 , the consumer  118  registers utility devices  116   a - d  at the premises  114  to the incentive engine  122  (e.g., via the same internet-based application, etc.). Specifically, the consumer  118  identifies the utility devices  116   a - d  individually, or in combination, and identifies a manner in which the incentive engine  122  is able to monitor and/or alter the utility devices  116   a - d . In various embodiments, the consumer  118  provides permissions (and potentially including limitations) for the incentive engine  122  to monitor and/or alter the settings of the utility devices  116   a - d  (e.g., select ones of the utility devices  116   a - d , all of the utility devices  116   a - d , etc.) in connection with one or more challenges potentially accepted by the consumer  118 . Such access may be coordinated through the network-based application installed at the communication device  120  (using the various networks interconnecting the utility devices  116   a - d  and the communication device  120  described above in the system  100 ). Or, such access may be coordinated through one or more network-based applications associated with one or more suppliers, distributors, retailers, and/or manufactures (broadly, device providers) of the utilities devices  116   a - d  (e.g., via an API and/or software development kit (SDK) offered by the device providers (directly or indirectly), etc.), and/or coordinated directly through the utility devices  116   a - d  (via appropriate network-based applications at and/or accessing the utility devices  116   a - d , etc.). 
     Once the utility provider  110  and the consumer  118  are registered, and the utility provider  110  activates a challenge, at  306 , the incentive engine  122  delivers the activated challenge to registered consumers, including the consumer  118 , at  310 . In the method  300 , the incentive engine  122  pushes the challenge to the network-based application installed at the communication device  120  associated with the consumer  118 . Alternatively, delivery of the challenges may be a result of the application pulling the challenges from the incentive engine  122  and/or the data structure  124  (e.g., via a message (e.g., a GET message), via an API and/or SDK, etc.). In addition, the application may queue challenges as received, for viewing by the consumer  118 , and/or provide a visual/audio indication upon receipt. Then, when the network-based application is accessed by the consumer  118  (e.g., via login, etc.), via the communication device  120 , the challenge is displayed to the consumer  118 , at  312 , along with other challenges delivered to the consumer  118  by the utility provider  110  (or by other utility providers similarly registered). In turn, the consumer  118 , via the communication device  120 , is able to select the challenge, at  314 , as desired (or another challenge received by the consumer  118 ), to view details of the challenge. And, if the details of the challenge appear acceptable to the consumer  118 , the consumer can accept the selected challenge, at  316 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates an exemplary interface  700  through which the consumer  118  may receive challenges from the incentive engine  122 , at the consumer&#39;s communication device  120 . The interface  700  may be associated with, for example, the internet-based application installed at the communication device  120  described above in connection with the system  100  and the method  300 . In the illustrated interface  700 , a “Challenges” icon  702  is selected (at a bottom portion of the interface  700 ), and two challenges are presented to the consumer  118  in tiles  704 ,  706 . The upper tile  704  includes the challenge “Candlelight dinner tonight,” and the lower tile  706  includes the challenge “Time to open the windows.” Each challenge is currently “active,” as indicated in the tiles  704 ,  706 , and available for selection by the consumer  118 . 
     Upon selection of the “Candlelight dinner tonight” challenge from the interface  700  (from the upper tile  704 ), for example, another exemplary interface  800 , as shown in  FIG. 8 , is displayed to the consumer  118  at the communication device  120 . As illustrated, the interface  800  includes the details of the selected challenge (i.e., turn off light bulbs from 7 pm to 9 pm tonight). If the details of the challenge are amenable to the consumer  118 , the consumer  118  can accept the challenge and apply the challenge settings to the premises  114  (e.g., to light bulb utility devices  116   b - c , etc.) by selecting “accept” option  802 . The acceptance of the challenge causes another interface  900  to display, as shown in  FIG. 9 , indicating the acceptance of the challenge. It should be appreciated that in one or more embodiments, acceptance of a challenge may include the consumer  118  accepting additional terms and/or conditions associated with the challenge and/or providing an acknowledgment to the incentive engine  122  to take further operations to cause utility usage at the premises to be adjusted consistent with the accepted challenge. 
     The interfaces  700 - 900  each relate to the challenges provided by the utility provider  110  to the consumer  118  (e.g., as shown in tiles  704 ,  706  in  FIG. 7 , etc.). As such, in each of the interfaces  700 - 900 , the “Challenges” icon  702  is shown selected (at the bottom portion of the interfaces  700 - 900 ). Additional icons are also shown in the interfaces  700 - 900 , for example, relating to billing, rewards, devices (e.g., registered devices associated with the consumer  118 , etc.), and a profile for the consumer  118 . As desired, the consumer  118  may select one of the additional icons from any of the interfaces  700 - 900  to navigate to other interfaces in which the consumer  118  can view, edit, etc. data relating to the particular selected icon. This will be described in more detail hereinafter, particularly with reference to the rewards icon and the billing icon. 
     Referring back to  FIG. 3 , once a selected challenge is accepted by the consumer  118 , the incentive engine  122  receives the acceptance of the challenge from the consumer  118 , at  318 . The incentive engine  122  then causes a change in the utility usage at the premises  114  (broadly, adjusts the utility usage at the premises  114 ), at  320 , consistent with the terms of the accepted challenge. The change in the utility usage may be achieved through the utility devices  116   a - d  at the premises  114  (and/or through other utility devices at the premises  114 , such as irrigation systems, water heaters, etc.), or otherwise. When achieved through the utility devices  116   a - d , such changes may be caused by the incentive engine  122  through network-based commands directed to a hub device and/or the communication device  120  (and/or an API and/or SDK associated with the device provider (not shown) and/or the devices  116   a - d , etc.), etc. 
     As an example, the incentive engine  122  may cause a light bulb (e.g., one or both of light bulb utility devices  116   b - c , etc.) to be turned off (or dimmed, as applicable) for the duration of a predefined interval (e.g., between 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm for the “Candlelight dinner tonight” challenge described above, etc.). In another example, the incentive engine  122  may cause a temperature for the premises  114  to be adjusted through a thermostat utility device (e.g., utility device  116   a ), or an air conditioning and/or heating system (HVAC system) to be turned off for a predefined interval. In yet another example, the incentive engine  122  may cause an elevator (e.g., elevator utility device  116   d , etc.) to be turned off for a predefined interval. In still another example, the incentive engine  122  may cause an irrigation system to operate only at a predefined time and/or on predefined days of the week (e.g., from 12:00 am to 1:00 am on Monday and Thursday, etc.), or to cause the irrigation system to forego watering for a week. 
     Further in the method  300 , the incentive engine  122  monitors the premises  114 , and in particular, one or more of the utility devices  116   a - d  involved in the accepted challenge, to determine, at  322 , whether the accepted challenge is completed or not. For example, in connection with acceptance of the “Candlelight dinner tonight” challenge, if the consumer  118  causes a light bulb to be turned back ON during the 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm interval of the challenge, the incentive engine  122  detects the change in the light bulb and determines the challenge was not completed. Alternatively, when completed, the incentive engine  122  awards the incentive to the consumer  118 , at  324 , indicated in the challenge. As described above, the incentive may include, for example, a rebate/discount on a utility bill, a coupon for redemption at a merchant (e.g., the merchant  102 , etc.), cash back, a gift certificate/card for one or multiple merchants, etc. The incentives may be associated with the challenges and included with the challenge, or alternatively, retrieved by the incentive engine  122 , from the data structure  124  (or elsewhere) (e.g., directly, or via API and/or SDK message, etc.) prior to being awarded to the consumer  118 , etc. Once the incentive for the accepted (and completed) challenge is awarded, the consumer  118  is able to redeem the incentive, at  326 . 
       FIGS. 10-11C  illustrate exemplary rewards interfaces  1000 ,  1100  that may be displayed to the consumer  118  by the incentive engine  122 , at the communication device  120 , for example, upon selection of a “Rewards” icon  1002  at a bottom portion of the interface  1000  (or the interface  1100 ). As described above, the “Rewards” icon  1002  may also be selected from any of the interfaces  700 - 900  (of  FIGS. 7-9 ), for example, when the consumer  118  desires to view rewards details associated with his/her account with the utility provider  110  (or with other registered utility providers). 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , the interface  1000  includes a listing of all rewards (broadly, incentives) awarded to the consumer  118  and available for redemption. When the consumer  118  desires to redeem one of the rewards, he/she selects the desired reward. In turn, the incentive engine  122  causes a merchant selection interface  1100  to display at the consumer&#39;s communication device  120 , as shown in  FIG. 11A . In this example, the consumer  118  selected the “$5.00 Voucher” from the interface  1000 , which causes different merchants, at which the reward may be redeemed, to be displayed on a map in the interface  1100 . When the consumer  118  selects a merchant from the map, the exemplary interface  1100  then displays a flag  1104  associated with the selected merchant, as shown in  FIG. 11B , and indicates the name of the merchant (e.g., Café Meuse, etc.). When the consumer  118  selects the flag, the reward is redeemed, by the communication device  120  (via the incentive engine  122 ), and an indication  1106  of the redemption is displayed in the interface  1100 , as shown in  FIG. 11C . 
     As an example, upon redemption of the “$5.00 Voucher” reward from the interface  1000 , the incentive engine  122  may cause a new prepaid account to be appended to a payment application at the consumer&#39;s communication device  120 , consistent with the redemption (e.g., a $5.00 prepaid account to Café Meuse, a generic $5.00 prepaid account issued by the issuer  108  that can be used at Café Meuse or other ones of the merchants identified in the interface  1100  in  FIG. 11A , etc.). Or, the incentive engine  122  may generate the “$5.00 Voucher” and push it to the consumer&#39;s communication device  120  for access via the internet-based application installed at the communication device  120  (as described above in connection with the system  100  and the method  300 ). Here, the consumer  118  can then show the voucher to a participating merchant for redemption (e.g., based on a voucher serial number, a QR code, etc.). As another example, upon redemption of the “$5.00 Rebate” reward from the interface  1000 , the incentive engine  122  may cause a discount to be applied to the consumer&#39;s current utility bill in the amount of $5.00 at the consumer&#39;s communication device  120  (e.g., via the network-based application, directly, or through calling an API and/or SDK associated with the incentive and/or billing of the utility provider  110 , etc.), etc.). 
     In addition in the method  300 , at various times, the consumer  118  may receive bills from the utility provider  110  relating to usage of utilities at the premises  114 . In connection therewith, once generated by the utility provider  110 , the incentive engine  122  may push the bills to the network-based application installed at the consumer&#39;s communication device  120 . The application may queue the bills, as received, for viewing and payment by the consumer  118 , and/or provide a visual/audio indication upon receipt. Then, when the application is accessed by the consumer  118  (e.g., via login, etc.), via the communication device  120 , the new bill/bills is/are available to the consumer  118  and/or displayed to the consumer  118  (along with other bills from the utility provider  110  or from other utility providers similarly registered). In turn, the consumer  118  can effect payment of the new bill/bills, via the application, for example, using his/her payment account, in which case the communication device  120  (via the incentive engine  122 ) generates an authorization request for the transaction and transmits the request to the acquirer  104  (when associated with the utility provider  110 ), along path A in  FIG. 1 , in a similar manner to that described for the example transaction above in the system  100 . 
       FIGS. 12A and 12B  illustrate an exemplary billing interface  1200  that may be displayed to the consumer  118  by the incentive engine  122 , at the consumer&#39;s communication device  120 , for example, upon selection of a “Bill” icon  1202  at a bottom portion of the interface  1200 . Through the billing interface  1200 , the consumer  118  can view and pay recent bills for utilities provided by the utility provider  110  (and potentially view any rebates redeemed by the consumer  118  toward his/her bills). As described above, the “Bill” icon  1202  is also available for selection from any of the interfaces  700 - 1100 , upon which the billing interface  1200  is then displayed at the communication device  120 . 
     The illustrated interface  1200  generally includes payment account information for the consumer  118  to be used to pay the bill, and a billing summary for the current bill to be paid. The payment account information included in the interface  1200  may be provided during registration of the consumer  118  (e.g., at  308  in the method  300 , etc.), or it may be provided from a payment application at the communication device  120  (e.g., an electronic wallet (or e-wallet) application such as MasterPass®, Apple Pay®, Samsung Pay®, PayPal®, Google Wallet®, Android Wallet™, etc., which configures the communication device  120  to act as a payment device for and/or with one or more different payment accounts). In some embodiments, the billing interface  1200  may also include (for review) past bills for the consumer  118  (and their status), a transaction history for the consumer  118 , utility usage for the consumer  118  and/or the premises  114 , etc. In still other embodiments, the billing interface  1200  may not include pre-provided payment account information for the consumer  118 , but instead may require the consumer  118  to enter desired payment account information for use in paying a bill. The consumer  118  can then effect payment of the bill via payment button  1204  in the interface  1200 , using the displayed payment account information. And, once the bill is paid, a confirmation  1206  is displayed at the communication device  120 , indicating that the payment for the bill has been successfully submitted (e.g., in the manner described above, etc.). 
     In view of the above, through the systems and methods herein, utility providers are permitted to offer challenges to consumer, whereby the consumers receive incentives to adjust utility usage at their premises. Through such interaction, the utility providers are able to impact the supply of utilities available to the utility providers, by strategically altering use of the utilities by consumers. In such systems and/or methods, the utility providers may then be able to reduce needs to purchase utilities from other providers to satisfy consumer needs, for example, in times of shortages, by directly reducing the consumers&#39; needs through incentives (and, thus, potentially avoiding any such shortages). In this manner, the utility providers may further be able to efficiently affect costs and profits associated with such utilities sales. 
     It should be appreciated that the functions described herein, in some embodiments, may be described in computer executable instructions stored on a computer readable media, and executable by one or more processors. The computer readable media is a non-transitory computer readable media. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media. 
     It should also be appreciated that one or more aspects of the present disclosure transform a general-purpose computing device into a special-purpose computing device when configured to perform the functions, methods, and/or processes described herein. 
     As will be appreciated based on the foregoing specification, the above-described embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented using computer programming or engineering techniques including computer software, firmware, hardware or any combination or subset thereof, wherein the technical effect may be achieved by performing at least one of the following operations: (a) receiving from a utility provider, a challenge defining a reduction in a utility usage by a consumer, in exchange for an incentive; (b) causing the challenge to be delivered to the consumer; (c) when the challenge is completed, causing the incentive to be awarded to the consumer, whereby the utility provider is able to affect utility usage by the consumer through the incentive-based challenge; (d) causing the reduction in the utility usage to be effected at a premises associated with the consumer; (e) verifying that the challenge is completed; (f) causing a bill to be delivered to a communication device associated with the consumer; and (g) generating an authentication request for payment of a bill, in response to a payment input at a communication device associated with the consumer. 
     Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail. In addition, advantages and improvements that may be achieved with one or more exemplary embodiments disclosed herein may provide all or none of the above mentioned advantages and improvements and still fall within the scope of the present disclosure. 
     The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. The method steps, processes, and operations described herein are not to be construed as necessarily requiring their performance in the particular order discussed or illustrated, unless specifically identified as an order of performance. It is also to be understood that additional or alternative steps may be employed. 
     When a feature is referred to as being “on,” “engaged to,” “connected to,” “coupled to,” “associated with,” “in communication with,” or “included with” another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected or coupled to, or associated or in communication or included with the other feature, or intervening features may be present. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. 
     Although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various features, these features should not be limited by these terms. These terms may be only used to distinguish one feature from another. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. Thus, a first feature discussed herein could be termed a second feature without departing from the teachings of the example embodiments. 
     None of the elements recited in the claims are intended to be a means-plus-function element within the meaning of 35 U.S.C. §112(f) unless an element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for,” or in the case of a method claim using the phrases “operation for” or “step for.” 
     The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.