Understanding the “power” of end-users

Utility end-users often run the last mile of energy solutions. The actual impact of an energy solution directly links to the customers’ choices of end-use technologies and their energy use behaviors in daily life. As a current trend, utility providers offer services and programs that engage customers to play a part in improving the grid capability and reliability in supporting renewable energy and energy efficiency. For example, the pricing structure of an electricity service plan may incentive the shift of energy use from peak hours to the hours when renewable energy resources kick in; technology-specific programs may encourage the adoption of energy efficient equipment and/or the maximization of the distributed energy resources value. This presentation will share a few snapshots of utility customer insights in recent quantitative or qualitative research.

Speaker: Minhua Long, Electric Power Research Institute