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Customer Research

Understand the people behind your programs. Customer Research combines advanced analytics and human-centered insights to uncover motivations, barriers, and opportunities—helping utilities and energy partners design programs that improve participation, strengthen equity, and align customer values and expectations.

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Capture the full customer perspective

Build a comprehensive, evidence-driven understanding of customer behaviors, motivations, and barriers. We combine quantitative surveys, advanced analytics, and qualitative methods such as focus groups, in-depth interviews, and diary studies to reveal not only what customers do, but why. These impartial insights inform program design, support goal setting, and enhance regulatory filings.

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Apply customer understanding to program design

Use research to guide real-world decisions. We apply ethnography, journey mapping, and persona development to inform pilot design, emerging technology assessments, and operational strategy that improves measurable savings, flexibility, and participation across diverse customer segments.

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Center customer voices in decision-making

Ensure programs reflect lived experiences and community needs. We partner with utilities, regional energy organizations, and regulators to embed affordability, access, and resiliency goals into decision-making that builds trust and lasting engagement.

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Behavioral insight

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Equity and access

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Program participation

Case Study

Oracle Energy and Water: Testing the Efficacy of Home Energy Reports

E Source helped Oracle Energy and Water strengthen the impact of Home Energy Reports by delivering clear, industry‑wide insights that reveal how report design, vendor differences, and long‑term engagement shape real, measurable customer energy savings.

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North Indiana Public Service Company: Electric and Gas Demand Side Management EM&V

E Source is helping NIPSCO strengthen its energy efficiency portfolio with a long‑term, portfolio‑wide EM&V strategy that delivers clear insights to refine program design, improve savings accuracy, and drive continuous performance gains year over year.

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New Metrics: Assessing Energy Burden and Bill Impacts

E Source is helping utilities design more equitable, data‑driven strategies by revealing how energy burden truly shifts across customer segments—and by pinpointing the interventions that can meaningfully reduce costs and improve outcomes for income‑eligible households.

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Budget-billing programs increase satisfaction for the right customers
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Design programs that reflect your customers.

Connect with our team today to see how Customer Research can help you capture diverse perspectives, improve equity outcomes, and design programs that deliver measurable, customer-centered results.