At least one non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with instructions which when loaded on at least one computer and executed by at least one processor, establishes processes for reporting a first consumer's usage of a resource, wherein the executed instructions cause the processor to:
- retrieve, by at least the processor, consumer characteristic data and resource usage data for a first consumer and consumer characteristic data and resource usage data for each consumer in a set of second consumers, the consumer characteristic data including a plurality of characteristics related to each respective consumer, the resource usage data comprising at least one of:
- electricity usage data, or gas usage data, oil usage data, wood usage data, waste removal usage data, water usage data, sewer usage data, garbage removal usage data, recycling removal usage data, telephone usage data and broadband usage data;
- performing, by at least the processor, an iterative process comprising:
- selecting, by at least the processor, from the set of second consumers, a total number of similar consumers to define a data set of similar consumers, wherein the processor executes an adaptive process that extracts from memory the consumer characteristic data sequentially for each of the set of second consumers and applies a plurality of criteria as a function, wherein each selected consumer is similar according to the plurality of criteria matching the consumer characteristic data of the first consumer, wherein similarity is defined by the function, for each criterion of the plurality of criteria, as at least one of:
- a match between a characteristic of the selected consumer's characteristic data and a characteristic of the first consumer's characteristic data;
- and
- a match between a characteristic of the selected consumer's characteristic data and a range, the range being determined by a processor, based on at least one characteristic of the first consumer's characteristic data;
- monitoring, by the processor, a total number of the similar consumers selected in a previous iteration;
- determining, by the processor, a difference between the total number of the similar consumers selected in the previous iteration and a predetermined number of consumers;
- in response to the total number of the similar consumers selected in the previous iteration decreases and is less than the predetermined number of consumers, applying by the processor, a programmatic abating function in the adaptive process to abate at least one criterion from the plurality of criteria, by:
- (a) calculating, by the processor, a degree of adjustment to one or more ranges of the plurality of criteria, wherein the calculated degree of adjustment is proportional to the determined difference between the total number of similar consumers selected in the previous iteration and the predetermined number of consumers;
- and
- wherein the degree of adjustment depends on the programmatic abating function wherein, as the number of similar consumers selected in the latest iteration decreases, the range for at least one common criterion increases;
- and
- (b) programmatically adjusting, by the processor, a subsequent iteration by applying the calculated degree of adjustment comprising:
- (i) selecting and removing, by at least the processor, at least a first criterion from the plurality of criteria based on the programmatic abating function;
- or
- (ii) selecting and adjusting, by at least the processor based on the calculation degree of adjustment, at least one range for a second criterion of the plurality of criteria that remains;
- wherein the abating reduces a number of iterations performed by the processor to define the data set of similar consumers to be at least the predetermined number of consumers;
- and
- repeating the iterative process using the abated plurality of criteria until the total number of the similar consumers selected at least matches the predetermined number of consumers;
- and
- generating, by at least the processor, a report that at least compares the first consumer's resource usage data and the at least one selected consumer's resource usage data, wherein the report is provided and is accessible via an email communication or is accessible via a website.