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.


Organizational Structure Inspired by Nature

April 28, 2016 | Meredith Ledbetter
At some point in your career you’ve probably been through an organizational restructuring. The classic hierarchical structure delivers mixed results, so design-thinking researchers are turning in part to the natural world to find org structures that work.

What Will It Take to Derive Real Value from Grid Battery Storage?

April 22, 2016 | Bryan Jungers
The hype would have you believe that batteries will solve our aging-grid problem. The missing key in grid storage advancement isn't the storage technology itself, but the effective enabling of the many stacked functions that are needed to unlock the technical and economic benefits of grid storage.

The Joneses Are Going Electric with the Tesla Model 3

April 18, 2016 | Logan Jacobson
With 280,000 people preordering Tesla’s Model 3, electric vehicles might become mainstream in 2017. Tesla, Nissan, and Chevy will all release vehicles with 200 miles of range for $35,000 or less—providing enough range at a low enough price to make going electric tempting for almost anyone.

Call Me! Your Large Business Customers Want a Phone Call During Unplanned Outages

April 12, 2016 | Daniel Doutre
As Ecclesiastes states, and The Byrds later sang, there is a time to every purpose under heaven, including when a smartphone needs to just be a phone. According to the E Source Large Business Gap and Priority study, your key accounts want you to call them during energy emergencies. What a concept!

What’s Up with Nest?

April 11, 2016 | Essie Snell
From internal struggles to issues with its acquisition of smart home hub company Revolv, Nest seems to be going through a rough patch. It makes me wonder whether the company will continue to succeed in its smart home ambitions going forward.

For the Birds: Animals Take Over Utility Social Media Streams

April 6, 2016 | Sarah Howie
In the past 30 days, animal-related content has been a dominant, high-engagement theme in utility social media. How, why, and to what effect are utilities tapping into the animal lover in all of us to make a social media splash?

Lights Out: Innovations in DSM Lighting Programs

April 1, 2016 | Jeffrey Daigle
Utilities continue to chase lighting savings even though the increased efficiency of new bulbs has plateaued. Today—curiously April 1—E Source introduces its newly designed program Lights Out, which explores how to get 100 percent savings in lighting programs with no free riders.

Updated! Looking for Omnichannel Answers in a Magic 8 Ball

March 29, 2016 | Lauren Potter
With a little bit of help from our trusty advisor the Magic 8 ball, here are a few Omnichannel Survey 2015 data-driven customer experience predictions for utilities.

Energy Books That Shouldn't Make You Snore

March 8, 2016 | Luke Currin
Looking for some good books about energy that won't put you to sleep? Look no further! This essential reading list is for the history buffs, techies, entrepreneurs, humanitarians, and policy wonks working in the electricity, cleantech, and oil and gas industries. Happy reading!

How Innovative Utilities Are Rewarding Loyal Customers and Attracting New Ones

March 3, 2016 | Meredith Ledbetter
Looking for a new way to engage your residential customers? Under pressure to attract new customers? Take a cue from other industries and offer a rewards program for loyal customers. We know of several utilities in regulated and deregulated markets that are trying it and getting good results.