Building a $30M
Experimentation Program
Enterprise experimentation from scratch across 5 regulated energy retail brands — Reliant, Direct Energy, Green Mountain, Cirro, and Discount Power — serving 7 million customers in 24 states.
Five Brands. Zero
Shared Methodology.
NRG Energy operates 5 distinct energy retail brands across 24 states, each with different customer bases, regulatory environments, and acquisition funnels. When I joined, experimentation was fragmented — under 20 tests per year with no connection to revenue outcomes.
The C-suite couldn't answer a basic question: what is the ROI of our experimentation program? Without that answer, the program would never get the resources or executive sponsorship it needed to scale.
From Foundation
to Compound Growth
Building the Program from Zero
Inherited fragmented testing across 5 brands with no shared methodology. Audited every existing test, identified the measurement gaps, and designed the hypothesis engine that would connect behavioral insights to revenue forecasts. Established statistical standards: minimum detectable effect, power calculations, and sequential testing protocols.
From 20 to 100+ Tests Per Year
Rolled out the PRISM method across all 5 regulated energy brands — Reliant, Direct Energy, Green Mountain, Cirro, and Discount Power. Built the revenue-per-experiment metric that made the program legible to the C-suite. Trained cross-functional teams on behavioral science–driven hypothesis writing.
AI-Augmented Experimentation
Introduced AI-assisted workflows — automated hypothesis generation from behavioral heuristics, analysis acceleration, and CDP-driven personalization. Cut analysis time by 40% while maintaining statistical rigor. Established AI governance frameworks for experimentation at enterprise scale.
The Principles
Behind the Numbers
Every experiment at NRG starts with a named behavioral mechanism. Here are four that drove the largest revenue impact.
Loss Aversion
Reframed rate plan choices from potential gains to potential losses. 'You're currently overpaying $X/mo' outperformed 'Save $X/mo' across all 5 brands.
Choice Architecture
Reduced plan options from 8+ to 3 recommended tiers with smart defaults. Conversion rate increased 30% by eliminating decision paralysis.
Social Proof
Added '73% of customers in your area chose this plan' to rate comparison pages. Trust signals reduced time-to-decision by 22%.
Anchoring
Positioned the highest-value plan first in the comparison flow. Average revenue per customer increased without changing the underlying rate structures.
Built on the
PRISM Method
The NRG experimentation program runs on PRISM — a behavioral science–driven process that predicts revenue before a test runs and verifies it after. Every experiment follows the same five-step cycle.
See the PRISM Method →See all case studies
Explore the geo-experimentation work at Silicon Valley Bank, or read weekly breakdowns on Lean Experiments.
Revenue Frameworks
for Growth Leaders
Every week: one experiment, one framework, one insight to make your marketing more evidence-based and your revenue more predictable.