Welcome to the E Source blog! Our staff will share insights and observations about life at E Source, our events, our research, and other fun stuff.


How Facebook’s News Feed Adjustment Affects Utilities

January 12, 2018 | Luke Currin
What do Facebook's revisions to its algorithm mean for utilities, given that the majority of their social audience is on Facebook and that, according to a New York Times article, brands and publishers are the losers here?

How Do Electric Vehicles Run in the Cold?

January 10, 2018 | Luke Currin
Cold weather affects electric-vehicle (EV) performance the same as it does gasoline- or diesel-powered vehicles. We turned to the utility that operates in Canada's coldest major city to answer our questions about maintaining your EV's performance in winter.

Watch Industry Experts Present Their Views on the Business Customer of the Future

December 20, 2017 | Travis Provin
Before their talks at the 2017 E Source Forum, Kevin Haley of the Rocky Mountain Institute, Heather Mulligan of PSE, and Celina Bonugli of the World Resources Institute drew doodles of the business customer of the future. How well did the doodles represent their ideas? Watch the videos to find out!

Happy Holidays from E Source!

December 19, 2017 | Kym Wootton
Wishing you happy holidays and a prosperous new year!

How to Choose the Best DSM Tracking System

December 14, 2017 | Kevin Andrews
We recently received an Ask E Source question about how to select and implement a demand-side management tracking system. We interviewed utility professionals and leading software developers to develop four best practices that will help you make the right choice for your utility.

Ho Ho Whoa! LED Holiday Lights Save How Much Energy?

December 12, 2017 | Joy Herbers
LED holiday lights are more expensive than incandescents at the time of purchase, but they're big money savers in the long run because they consume less energy. Whether your customers have modest light installations or major laser shows, they'll see savings on their energy bills if they use LEDs.

E Source Market Research Team Gets Wowed at the DOE Solar Decathlon

December 4, 2017 | Laura Ruff
In October, the market research team visited the DOE's 2017 Solar Decathlon in Denver. We were overwhelmed by the innovations in the 11 solar-powered houses, but Northwestern University's home intrigued us the most. The students used research-based personas to inform the house's design.

Water Heating and "U"

October 26, 2017 | Essie Snell
I was surprised to learn that water heater efficiency metrics quietly changed in June—and utilities don’t seem to be changing their program specifications or assumptions!

Another Spectacular E Source Forum in the Books!

September 15, 2017 | Sannie Sieper
The 30th E Source Forum was five-alarm fantastic! Whether you were there for the fire drills or missed the excitement, you can still get some of the knowledge. View the presentations on the Forum home page. In this post, check out the highlights video. And plan to join us next year, September 25–28!

My Search for the Killer App for Residential Batteries

September 5, 2017 | Jay Stein
Surveys show that customers like batteries and many are considering buying them. Before utilities encourage customers to make those purchases, they first have to figure out what those batteries will do that benefits both customers and utilities.