First Utility (Shell Energy) Power Company API Monitoring Case Study

First Utility (Now Shell Energy) Increases Throughput Without Increasing Capacity

First Utility is one of the UK’s largest and fastest growing independent energy providers. Since beginning operations in 2009, the company has rapidly built a loyal following by offering homeowners innovative smart meters, website tools and mobile apps. These products give customers the ability to reduce their gas and electric bills by helping them monitor and control energy usage.

What You'll learn on this case study

Limited Visibility

First Utility’s reliance on technology means that fast, dependable access to customer accounts via the website and mobile applications is central to the company’s success. All of this functionality, including billing, is driven by just a handful of mission-critical APIs.

Knowledge Is Power

First Utility uses a complicated OAuth authentication process for access to its services, so it initially struggled to find a compatible monitoring tool.

More Than A Performance Tool

First Utility has approximately 1,000 employees, but within its lean 30-man operations team there are only five people tasked with managing web tech support and issue resolution.

The Proof Is In The Pudding

“Most of First Utility’s employees are also customers. That gives us a really good incentive to make sure that the website and the apps are working,” concluded Marshall.