We can all agree with Ben Hood when he said this about electricity: 

“Electricity hopefully should be like an Apple product. It just works and you don't have to think about it.”

The problem, though, is millions of Americans do have to worry about their electricity. From high energy bills, to understanding the complexity of  switching to solar and wind power, consumers around the world are struggling with the burden of not knowing the best and or cheapest alternatives to their current electricity providers. Ben is hoping to bring some answers to the table for those folks. 

Hood is the co-founder and CTO of WattBuy, a platform that helps people take charge of their electricity, and on this episode of IT Visionaries, he explains why deregulation is helping to solve some of the problems consumers have faced for quite some time.  Plus, Ben talks about why the data WattBuy is gathering now will benefit consumers in the future.

Main Takeaways

• Regulate This: When it comes to electricity, there are a few states within the U.S. that do not regulate electricity. This means that consumers have the option to choose their provider. WattBuy works to streamline this process by providing consumers with estimates on what electricity providers are best for them.
• The Answer Lies Within the Data: When you are trying to solve complicated problems, such as estimating the cost of electricity, the more data you have, the easier it is to solve your problem. Utilize as many third-party vendors as possible in order to gather the best information possible.
• 1.21 Gigawatts? What the Heck is Gigawatt?: You must always be educating yourself and your consumer. If your goal is to help consumers save as much money as possible, you have to educate them on why the prices are the way that they are.

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