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Energy-efficiency departments are experiencing unprecedented impacts from COVID-19. Some program administrators have temporarily suspended programs or scaled them back due to stay-at-home orders that prohibit entry into homes and businesses. Many nonessential businesses are closing their doors—temporarily or permanently—and millions of Americans are newly unemployed, which could have long-term effects on efficiency programs. During this virtual roundtable meeting, demand-side management (DSM) executives will convene to share what they’re currently doing with efficiency programs and to discuss the future of efficiency programs after COVID-19.

Moderator:

Kate Merson, Senior Director, Customer Energy Solutions, E Source

For more information about this event, please email us or call 1-800-ESOURCE (1-800-376-8723).

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In our previous research into utility technology-transfer efforts, we’ve focused on the problems and what doesn’t work. We described how difficult it can be for utilities to innovate at the pace necessary to keep up with modern challenges. For our current research, we’re expanding on these concepts to consider what technologies are coming next and why any technology should be promoted in the first place. From this perspective, we outline viable solutions to the challenges of technology transfer.

You’ll learn:

• How innovative technologies evolve and enter the market
• How utilities are fostering innovative tech transfer within their companies
• How you can get involved with tech-transfer cooperatives in your region

Speakers:

Bryan Jungers, Senior Research Manager, Customer Energy Solutions, E Source

Luke Beckett, Product Manager, Customer Energy Solutions, E Source

For more information about this event, please email us or call 1-800-ESOURCE (1-800-376-8723).

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If you manage or supervise people at your utility, join us to learn how to apply employee-engagement principles to create a strong, cohesive team during a chaotic time. This is a virtual session of the E Source Customer Experience Leadership Council.

You’ll learn:

• Why employee engagement looks different today
• How to adjust your expectations and approaches to get better results
• Six key strategies to influence better engagement in the current situation
• Four ways to get better performance from newly remote employees

Speaker:

Eryc Eyl, Senior Research Manager, Customer Engagement Solutions, E Source

For more information about this event, please email us or call 1-800-ESOURCE (1-800-376-8723).

NOTE: This event has already taken place. See below for notes and presentation slides.

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Energy-efficiency departments are experiencing unprecedented impacts from COVID-19. Some program administrators have temporarily suspended programs or scaled them back due to stay-at-home orders that prohibit entry into homes and businesses. Many nonessential businesses are closing their doors—temporarily or permanently—and millions of Americans are newly unemployed, which could have long-term effects on efficiency programs. During this virtual roundtable meeting, demand-side management (DSM) executives will convene to share what they’re currently doing with efficiency programs and to discuss the future of efficiency programs after COVID-19.

For more information about this event, please email us or call 1-800-ESOURCE (1-800-376-8723).

NOTE: This event has already taken place. See below for recording, event description, and link to download the presentation slides.

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Join us by the virtual fireside as our CEO, Wayne Greenberg, interviews Jennifer Montague, vice president of communications and external affairs at NIPSCO, about her utility’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic turmoil. This is a virtual session of the E Source Customer Experience Leadership Council.

You’ll learn:

• What the most important messages are for customers to hear from their utility during this crisis
• How NIPSCO is keeping employees engaged and feeling safe
• The data NIPSCO executives are using to set goals and track progress
• The plan for keeping business operations running as smoothly as possible as states begin lifting stay-at-home orders
• Executives’ biggest aha moments as they’re leading people through the crisis

Speakers:

Wayne Greenberg, CEO, E Source

Jennifer Montague, Vice President, Communications and External Affairs, NIPSCO

For more information about this event, please email us or call 1-800-ESOURCE (1-800-376-8723).

NOTE: This event has already taken place. See below for recording, event description, and link to download the presentation slides.

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Because of the economic impact from COVID-19 combined with moratoriums on shutoffs, a significant number of customers will be overdue on their utility bills in the next 6 to 24 months. Additionally, we expect to see an increased cost to serve these customers due to increases in call volumes from customers looking for assistance with potential late fees, structuring deferred payment agreements, and more. Utilities need to start planning for arrears now to help their customers, and they need to put mitigation strategies in place to deal with the increased cost to serve.

Machine learning can help you proactively identify arrears-risk customers and create a personalized set of utility programs and services to engage these customers before the collection process begins. By engaging customers with targeted communications before an issue arises, you can minimize costs, improve customer satisfaction, and ensure a data-driven, customer-focused approach to present to regulators and governmental agencies.

You’ll learn:

• How to use detailed customer data and data science to create dynamic microsegmentation to provide you with insights into COVID-19-related arrears
• How to use data science to read and adapt to changes in the postpandemic market
• Why proactively engaging customers will save you money and increase customer satisfaction in the coming months

We’ll hear from Chuck Caisley, senior vice president of marketing and public affairs and chief customer officer at Evergy. He’ll explain why Evergy is looking beyond the current moratoriums and seeing potential risk for its customers in June and beyond. We’ll hear his perspective on how a data-driven approach can help utilities deliver excellent service and cost reductions to their customers.

Speakers:

Chuck Caisley, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Public Affairs and Chief Customer Officer, Evergy

Chad Garrett, Managing Director, Consulting and Advisory Services, E Source

Tom Martin, Managing Director, TROVE Predictive Data Science

For more information about this event, please email us or call 1-800-ESOURCE (1-800-376-8723).

NOTE: This event has already taken place. See below for recording, event description, and link to download the presentation slides.

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Due to rising baselines and increased pressure on utilities to cost-effectively deliver energy savings, there has been a recent proliferation of midstream programs. In 2019, we released the report Sending your DSM measures upstream, which identified 93 demand-side management (DSM) programs from close to 70 organizations across the US and Canada. Through our research into the challenges facing midstream programs, we identified several effective program designs and delivery strategies that address the common challenges facing midstream programs. Join us for this web conference where we’ll present the findings from our midstream report series and discuss the designs for some of the industry-leading programs that we identified.

We’ll also take into account the current climate amid COVID-19, and provide suggestions on how to adjust your midstream and upstream programs.

Potential topics include:

• How COVID-19 is affecting midstream channels
• Popular and promising measures moving up the stream
• Tips for choosing measures and setting incentive levels
• The major barriers facing midstream programs and how utilities are addressing them

Speakers:

Kate Merson, Senior Director, Customer Energy Solutions, E Source

Brysen Daughton, Analyst, Customer Energy Solutions, E Source

For more information about this event, please email us or call 1-800-ESOURCE (1-800-376-8723).

NOTE: This event has already taken place. See below for recording, event description, and link to download the presentation slides.

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How might we leverage this challenging situation to reinforce the message that customers come first at your utility? We’ll explain how you can reassure all types of customers and describe the policy and priority adjustments you can make to come out of this crisis stronger than ever. This is a virtual session of the E Source Customer Experience Leadership Council.

We’ll examine:

• What customers need from you right now. How these needs have shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how that affects the customer experience.
• What utilities are doing right now to help customers through the crisis, including payment arrangements, financial assistance, and other payment-relief measures.
• How digital self-service options are more important than ever due to the closure of utility offices and strained customer service resources. And what you can do to optimize these channels.

Speakers:

Lisa Markus, Managing Director, Consulting and Advisory Services, E Source

Keenan Samuelson, Senior Analyst, Customer Engagement Solutions, E Source

Lisa Schulte, Senior Analyst, Customer Engagement Solutions, E Source

For more information about attending this event, please email us or call 1-800-ESOURCE (1-800-376-8723).

Given the ongoing developments and global concerns about the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and the current and anticipated impacts it’s having on many of our communities, we decided to hold the Spring 2020 E Source Social Media Summit as a series of online events.

See below for recordings and slides of the sessions we held:

Past sessions

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Navigating social media during the COVID-19 crisis

Amid all this uncertainty, your customers and employees need information and support. Social media is a quick and easy way to get that information out. We’ll discuss how utilities are making a positive impression by stepping into a leadership role and communicating with care and reassurance.

Shelby Kuenzli, Analyst, Customer Engagement Solutions, E Source

Download the presentation from Navigating social media during the COVID-19 crisis (PDF)

Making social media connections

In this session, we’ll discuss the state of the industry in the social media space, polling attendees on their future direction, lessons learned, accomplishments, and growth opportunities. Through this exercise, attendees can introduce themselves and get a holistic picture of where utilities are when it comes to social media marketing and communications.

Jessica Bailis, Senior Analyst, Customer Engagement Solutions, E Source

Download the presentation from Making social media connections (PDF)

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

12:00–12:40 p.m. ET

Celebrating Earth Day during COVID-19: How to promote your environmental initiatives

Don’t keep your #EarthDay posts quarantined. In this session, we’ll discuss how to tastefully communicate about your environmental initiatives on social media during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Anna Nixon, Associate Analyst, Customer Engagement Solutions, E Source

Download the presentation from Celebrating Earth Day during COVID-19: How to promote your environmental initiatives (PDF)

Postpandemic messaging: How to start communicating about energy efficiency and distributed energy again

COVID-19 is an important and pressing issue, but utilities still have to meet program goals. How are they balancing their regular content with COVID-19 content on social media? Join this session to learn from and discuss with your peers how to adjust your social media strategy to be empathetic during this crisis while also building relationships with customers that will extend beyond the pandemic.



Shelby Kuenzli, Analyst, Customer Engagement Solutions, E Source

Download the presentation from Postpandemic messaging: How to start communicating about energy efficiency and distributed energy again (PDF)

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

2020 social media trends: COVID-19 communications

There’s never been a better time to interact with your customers on social media. Because of the COVID-19 outbreak, people around the globe are gathering online rather than in office buildings, restaurants, and public spaces. In this session, we’ll take a look at how utilities and outside-industry brands are driving engagement while communicating about the coronavirus.



Anna Nixon, Associate Analyst, Customer Engagement Solutions, E Source

Download the presentation from 2020 social media trends: COVID-19 communications (PDF)

Digging into social media analytics and metrics

Set your social media campaigns up for success with this deep dive into analytics and metrics. We’ll benchmark industry social media metrics across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, and look at which analytics tools and platforms utilities are using. We’ll also take a behind-the-scenes look at the analytics and metrics of one utility’s recent COVID-19 communications campaign.

Jessica Bailis, Senior Analyst, Customer Engagement Solutions, E Source

Melissa Ramaley, Senior Social Media Analyst, American Electric Power

Download the presentation from Digging into social media analytics and metrics (PDF)

Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Utility COVID-19 campaign case studies: Hear from utilities that stepped up in the crisis/Hot topics discussion

See how some best-in-class utilities are using social media to take a leadership role in this time of crisis and strengthen their relationships with customers.

Shelby Kuenzli, Analyst, Customer Engagement Solutions, E Source

Josh Polk, Social Media Manager, American Electric Power

Ellen Thommesen, Public Affairs Associate, Colorado Springs Utilities

Amy Trinidad, Public Affairs Lead, Colorado Springs Utilities

Download the presentation from Utility COVID-19 campaign case studies: Hear from utilities that stepped up in the crisis (PDF)

Download the presentation from our Hot topics discussion (PDF)

NOTE: This event has already taken place. See below for recording, event description, and link to download the presentation slides.

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As the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic set in, program administrators are sorting through the short- and long-term implications and considering what adjustments to make to their distributed energy resource (DER) and electrification strategies and programs. In this web conference, we’ll discuss what some of those effects might be and how utilities are responding to the coronavirus.

Potential topics include:

• The effects COVID-19 will have on your DER and electrification strategies and programs
• Short-term steps to take, including how to leverage your DER and electrification offerings to support no- and low-income customers during this difficult time
• Ideas for supporting your DER and electrification trade allies during the crisis

Speakers:

Courtney Welch, Associate Director, Customer Energy Solutions, E Source

Bryan Jungers, Senior Research Manager, Customer Energy Solutions, E Source

Steven Day, Associate Analyst, Customer Energy Solutions, E Source

Brysen Daughton, Analyst, Customer Energy Solutions, E Source

For more information about this event, please email us or call 1-800-ESOURCE (1-800-376-8723).

NOTE: This event has already taken place. See below for recording, event description, and link to download the presentation slides.

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During the coronavirus pandemic, customers are hearing more and more messages that fit into the category of crisis communications. You need to get your utility’s crisis communications messaging right to make sure it cuts through the noise your customers are hearing. Join us for a panel discussion with crisis communication experts.

You’ll learn:

• The most important messages your utility should communicate during COVID-19
• How to craft messages that will be salient over the long term
• Which channels customers are looking to for these messages

Moderators:

Bill LeBlanc, Chief Instigation Agent, E Source

Luke Currin, Associate Director, Customer Engagement Solutions, E Source

Speakers:

Dr. Andi O’Conor, Speakcoach

Matt Moseley, Dovetail Solutions

Maria Hartshorne, MTR Communications

For more information about this event, please email us or call 1-800-ESOURCE (1-800-376-8723).

NOTE: This event has already taken place. See below for recording, event description, and link to download the presentation slides.

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As you grapple with the effects of COVID-19, your customers may be facing their highest-ever utility bills as they spend more time at home. You’ll face new restrictions when it comes to accessing customers’ homes for weatherization and other program installations. However, behavioral programs offer an easy way for customers to lower their bills while staying at home, and for you to reach your efficiency goals.

Potential topics include:

• How utilities are using behavioral programs to reach low-income customers
• How utilities are using digital tools to expand behavioral programs beyond paper-based home energy reports and to capture deeper savings

Speakers:

Beth Fitzjarrald, Senior Research Manager, Customer Energy Solutions, E Source

Theresa English, Product Manager, Evergy Inc.

For more information about this event, please email us or call 1-800-ESOURCE (1-800-376-8723).