Can you believe the E Source Forum 2022 is just a little over a month away? Insert a screaming GIF here. To get you ready for this year’s conference, we’ve put together a few videos to introduce our session tracks. Our content and conversations during this year’s event will focus on how utilities can take the important steps needed to meet the seemingly competing priorities of the Sustainable Utility.

We recently developed and launched E Source Digital Grid Solutions to accelerate our clients’ journey to becoming a Sustainable Utility—one that’s environmentally responsible, equitably delivers safe and reliable energy, and is financially stable.

To create a more equitable energy system, utilities need a better understanding of historically underserved customers and communities. Utilities can use market research to accomplish this, especially when the research is conducted with equity in mind.

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Jennifer Montague, senior VP and chief customer officer (CCO) at NiSource. We talked about:

On August 7, 2022, the US Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a bill that proposes $369 billion for clean-energy and climate programs. The bill is slated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 37%–40% below 2005 levels by 2030. And analysis by Rhodium Group, a research institute, found that the IRA could lower household energy costs by $730–$1,135 by the same date.

To understand the current state of building electrification (BE) and how it’s incentivized, we’ve been developing a database of utility and public BE programs in the US and Canada. It currently contains over 195 programs. By having a full picture of the nature of these programs, E Source can better guide utilities that are looking to start or advance their electrification offerings.

We’re only two weeks away from the E Source Forum! We know you’ll have a blast while adding plenty of new tools to your toolbox to bring back home with you. Many of your favorite activities have returned for this year’s event along with some exciting new attractions—not to mention a few surprises we’ve hidden up our sleeve. Here are some of the things you can expect from this year’s special 35th annual event.

Transportation electrification (TE) is changing rapidly. And utilities are looking to shape the future of clean transportation and prepare for the new loads from these technologies. It’s been complicated and time consuming to find detailed data about what utilities are spending on TE and where they’re focusing their program efforts.

Leading with the benefits is a tried-and-true strategy when communicating with customers about a major undertaking like an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) implementation.

Communicating the benefits helps form staff ambassadors and gain customer support. But it’s important to understand that along with the realization of the AMI program’s benefits come public misconceptions.

These concerns are major risks to the success of the program if they remain unaddressed.

To kick off E Source Forum 2022 this week, we caught up with Michael Carter, president of E Source Research and Advisory, to discuss the ways that this year’s event aims to empower the Sustainable Utility.

Sannie Sieper. E Source has hosted the Forum, its annual event for the utility industry, since the late 1980s. For those who have never attended, what would you tell them about it?