Comments on: Free biz idea: intelligent alerts for reducing your utility bills http://www.scrollinondubs.com/2009/03/22/optimize-utility-plans/ Sean Tierney's Blog Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:58:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.5 By: Evan http://www.scrollinondubs.com/2009/03/22/optimize-utility-plans/comment-page-1/#comment-374709 Evan Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:12:40 +0000 http://67.106.82.230/2009/03/22/optimize-utility-plans/#comment-374709 Great idea, few things:<br><br>1. Unless an API from all of the utility companies were to be created it would rely on the user to enter all of their utility usage/plan information.<br><br>2. How keen would the utility companies be on creating an API that would help reduce their revenue? <br><br>3. This is something I could see fitting in with a service offering like <a href="http://Mint.com" rel="nofollow">Mint.com</a> Great idea, few things:

1. Unless an API from all of the utility companies were to be created it would rely on the user to enter all of their utility usage/plan information.

2. How keen would the utility companies be on creating an API that would help reduce their revenue?

3. This is something I could see fitting in with a service offering like Mint.com

]]> By: ShutupSara http://www.scrollinondubs.com/2009/03/22/optimize-utility-plans/comment-page-1/#comment-370705 ShutupSara Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:15:03 +0000 http://67.106.82.230/2009/03/22/optimize-utility-plans/#comment-370705 Just found your blog this morning - great stuff! www.billshrink.com has some tools in place - cell phone and credit cards - and is working on more. It's actually really cool, and free! And not some corporate scheme to get you to buy their product (as far as I've been able to find out.) Their blog also has some really good info too. I really recommend this site - I've only used it for cell phone and gas - but it's saved me about $45/mo on my cell phone bill and found me some good gas prices in Seattle and Tempe. Only Just found your blog this morning – great stuff!

http://www.billshrink.com has some tools in place – cell phone and credit cards – and is working on more. It’s actually really cool, and free! And not some corporate scheme to get you to buy their product (as far as I’ve been able to find out.) Their blog also has some really good info too.

I really recommend this site – I’ve only used it for cell phone and gas – but it’s saved me about $45/mo on my cell phone bill and found me some good gas prices in Seattle and Tempe.

Only

]]> By: sean http://www.scrollinondubs.com/2009/03/22/optimize-utility-plans/comment-page-1/#comment-356123 sean Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:23:36 +0000 http://67.106.82.230/2009/03/22/optimize-utility-plans/#comment-356123 I wasn't thinking of asking permission of the utility companies - it would definitely NOT be in their best interest for this service to exist since you'd essentially be eating all their profit that came from poorly-chosen plans. It would require building a core system that had hooks for each service to be able to extract relevant usage information (so for cell phones: minutes used, SMS messages sent, data, if there were 5 main numbers called, nights/weekend minutes, etc.). This could be achieved by scraping (although that might violate the TOS on many of the accounts). It wouldn't be able to rely upon users entering all this data- if they're going to take the time to enter it, they could just as easily analyze it and make a smart decision. sean I wasn’t thinking of asking permission of the utility companies – it would definitely NOT be in their best interest for this service to exist since you’d essentially be eating all their profit that came from poorly-chosen plans.

It would require building a core system that had hooks for each service to be able to extract relevant usage information (so for cell phones: minutes used, SMS messages sent, data, if there were 5 main numbers called, nights/weekend minutes, etc.). This could be achieved by scraping (although that might violate the TOS on many of the accounts).

It wouldn’t be able to rely upon users entering all this data- if they’re going to take the time to enter it, they could just as easily analyze it and make a smart decision.

sean

]]> By: Evan http://www.scrollinondubs.com/2009/03/22/optimize-utility-plans/comment-page-1/#comment-356093 Evan Mon, 23 Mar 2009 13:51:05 +0000 http://67.106.82.230/2009/03/22/optimize-utility-plans/#comment-356093 Great idea, few things: 1. Unless an API from all of the utility companies were to be created it would rely on the user to enter all of their utility usage/plan information. 2. How keen would the utility companies be on creating an API that would help reduce their revenue? 3. This is something I could see fitting in with a service offering like Mint.com Great idea, few things:

1. Unless an API from all of the utility companies were to be created it would rely on the user to enter all of their utility usage/plan information.

2. How keen would the utility companies be on creating an API that would help reduce their revenue?

3. This is something I could see fitting in with a service offering like Mint.com

]]> By: Rick Mason http://www.scrollinondubs.com/2009/03/22/optimize-utility-plans/comment-page-1/#comment-356077 Rick Mason Mon, 23 Mar 2009 12:42:37 +0000 http://67.106.82.230/2009/03/22/optimize-utility-plans/#comment-356077 Why would the companies cooperate with you if doing so would reduce their profits? Seems like an incentive NOT to cooperate with you. Why would the companies cooperate with you if doing so would reduce their profits? Seems like an incentive NOT to cooperate with you.

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