Case Study: First Utility achieves 5–6% customer energy savings and increased retention with DataStax Enterprise

First Utility helps customers optimize their energy consumption using DataStax Enterprise

First Utility, the UK’s largest independent energy supplier serving over one million households, needed a modern data platform to support its Smart Meters and My Energy analytics tool. With each meter producing up to 17,000 readings per year (often two meters per home), the company sought to disrupt the slow-moving utilities industry, deliver real-time customer insights, and evolve a lean business model that sustains market-leading prices.

First Utility selected DataStax Enterprise (built on Apache Cassandra with integrated Apache Spark analytics) for its masterless architecture, high availability and linear scalability to store, process and analyze large IoT datasets. The platform enabled the company to launch the first consumer energy analytics service, drive broader digital adoption across billing and care systems, and deliver measurable results: customers who use the platform consume 5–6% less energy (about £45 saved annually) and exhibit significantly higher retention—staying with First Utility around 60% longer.

First Utility

Bill Wilkins

Chief Information Officer/CTO