Green Initiative Widget for TXU Energy

Power with Purpose: Visualizing Environmental Impact Through Everyday Electricity Use

In a market where utility providers are often seen as faceless billers, TXU Energy wanted to offer customers more than just a balance due — we wanted to provide a sense of purpose. I led the design of a new Green Initiative Widget that gives customers real-time insight into the positive environmental impact of their electricity usage.

This was a first-of-its-kind addition to the TXU dashboard: customers could now see metrics like CO₂ offset, energy savings, and lifestyle equivalencies — even if they weren’t enrolled in a renewable energy plan.

Prior to this project, customers had no visibility into how their energy choices — even on standard plans — contributed to sustainability efforts. As demand for transparency and eco-conscious living grew, the lack of feedback became a missed opportunity for customer engagement and trust-building.

Key pain points:

  • No visualization of clean energy impact

  • Customers with standard plans felt disconnected from sustainability initiatives

  • Lack of positive reinforcement from TXU’s clean energy efforts

“I pay my bill, but I have no idea if I’m doing anything good for the planet.”

  • Create a widget that visualizes each customer's positive environmental impact

  • Make clean energy benefits visible — even without a premium plan

  • Increase satisfaction and trust by aligning with eco-conscious values

  • Integrate cleanly into the existing MyAccount Summary dashboard

Let’s be more transparent

  • UX/UI Design

  • Data Visualization Design

  • Widget Architecture for Modular Use

  • Plan Logic Mapping (standalone vs. stacked use)

  • Visual QA and Developer Collaboration

My Role

The designed solution

We developed a responsive widget that dynamically displays:

  • CO₂ offset in pounds

  • Equivalent lifestyle comparisons (e.g., trees planted, miles not driven, plastic bottles recycled)

  • Monthly updates based on kWh usage and EPA.gov conversion data

Importantly, the widget works in two configurations:

  • Standalone Widget — for customers without a green plan, showing they still make an impact

  • Attached Widget — displayed alongside relevant plan-based widgets (like Free Nights & Solar Days), expanding environmental data to complement savings info

Standalone Widget

  • Clean, simple card with a friendly, motivating tone

  • Visual icons tied to environmental outcomes (e.g., trees, miles, bottles)

  • Live calculation of impact based on energy usage

Plan-Linked Widget

  • Appears directly under promotional widgets (e.g., Free Nights & Solar Days)

  • Seamlessly styled to feel native and supportive rather than a sales pitch

  • Includes collapsible functionality to declutter the dashboard

Variations

  • Rotating impact messages that rotate each month (trees, miles, bottles)

  • Callouts in green for positive reinforcement

  • ADA Accessible

  • Gave all customers a tangible reason to feel good about their usage

  • Provided eco-feedback for non-plan users for the first time

  • Improved customer satisfaction by highlighting shared values

  • Anticipated reduction in churn by reinforcing TXU’s role in sustainability

  • Positioned TXU as a cleaner, greener energy provider — not just a bill

This project proved that even small pieces of UI — when purpose-driven — can shape brand perception and customer connection. By showing customers their energy has impact, we helped shift the narrative from cost to contribution, building a bridge between utility and values.

Results & Reflections