How utilities can achieve equity through community-centered design: Going beyond human-centered design

January 25, 2023 | Lisa Markus | 8 min read
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It’s appropriate to focus on real people and solve their needs, but using a human-centered approach to improve equity can hinder solving intersectional problems. Let’s explore the concept of community-centered design and how it can help us better solve for equity in the energy industry.

An effective TE plan is within reach for utilities

January 18, 2023 | Jesse Hitchcock, Brenna Raeder | 6 min read
Utility transportation electrification (TE) efforts face a variety of challenges. We recently held a webinar to dig into what’s working, what isn’t, and what research can help utilities build a TE plan. We pulled together some of the highlights from our event in case you missed it.

Why FCR is a valuable metric for utility contact centers

January 11, 2023 | Liza Minor, Lisa Schulte | 8 min read
Large utilities, on average, are spending more than $2.3 million per year on repeat contacts. Learn how your utility contact center can reduce repeat contacts and save money by using a standard definition of first-contact resolution.

Simply the best: E Source’s top articles of 2022

January 4, 2023 | Sara Patnaude | 7 min read
January is often a time for reflection and setting goals for the new year. We thought it’d be a great opportunity to look back on 2022 and highlight the year’s hottest blog posts and reports.

5 reasons utilities should hire consultants to tackle challenging projects

December 21, 2022 | Mark Hatfield | 4 min read
When faced with a huge project—especially one that requires the sourcing and implementation of new technologies—we strongly recommend utilities hire a consultant. Why? Here are our top five reasons.

Celebrate the joy of the season with E Source!

December 14, 2022 | Sara Patnaude | 1 min read
Winter is here! This year, we’re honoring the winter months with a celebration of E Sourcers’ favorite things about the season. We hope you enjoy this year’s video holiday card and have a wonderful holiday season.

DSM participants are an Audience of One, not a segment of one: Bringing customers to the forefront of programs

December 7, 2022 | Will Gifford | 6 min read
Last month, I attended the International Energy Program Evaluation Conference, where equity, distributed energy resources, and non-energy benefits were among the themes. The one thing missing the most, however, was the focus on the customer in demand-side management program evaluations.

Storm Insight: Effectively manage storm-related outages to make sure you don’t leave customers in the dark

November 30, 2022 | Sara Patnaude | 5 min read
Major storm events are becoming more frequent and stronger, and with these storm events come outages. Receive accurate and prompt predictions for how, when, and where forecasted weather events will affect the distribution grid with a little help from E Source Storm Insight, a data-driven tool.

How CAISO read the tea leaves and prevented a mass outage event during the 2022 heat wave

November 22, 2022 | Michael Carter | 5 min read
This summer, California recorded some of the highest sustained temperatures on record. Learn how the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), the state’s grid monitoring and power system operator, realized it was in for trouble and prepared itself and the state’s citizens for what might come.

3 innovative technologies that can benefit utilities and their customers

November 17, 2022 | Barend Dronkers, Sara Patnaude | 5 min read
We recently discussed 10 up-and-coming technologies and concepts as part of our Fall 2022 tech roundup webinar. Here’s a look at three of our favorites from the list: EV telematics, low-voltage heat pumps, and residential HVAC fault detection and diagnostics.