President’s Posts

SECC’s President & CEO Nathan Shannon shares monthly insights on the relationship between energy consumers and smart energy technology.

Three Notable Racial Disparities Among Lower-Income Consumers

For the final publication in a series on lower-income energy consumers, the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC) recently delved into survey responses from 1,000...
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A Letter from SECC’s President Patty Durand

Much has changed in the energy industry in my 10 years as president of the SECC. As I step down from leadership, I would like to share my thoughts about the past decade and...
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Three Obstacles for Lower-Income Energy Consumers

Clean and smart energy technologies, such as rooftop solar, smart thermostats and electric vehicles (EVs), have weathered the COVID-19 pandemic relatively well. Despite a tumultuous...
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The Value of Online Marketplaces During COVID-19

Online marketplaces are uniquely positioned to combat many of the challenges from COVID-19 and help consumers save energy during this difficult time.
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Five Insights on Energy Consumers for 2020

While many electricity providers have become significantly more customer-centric in recent years, how receptive have consumers in the United States and Canada been to this evolution?
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Helping Consumers Save Energy During COVID-19

As we enter the sixth month of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Americans are still un- or underemployed, and many financial assistance programs due to expire this summer – if they haven’t...
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How Utilities Can Assist Small Businesses During COVID-19

Small-and-medium businesses (SMBs) employ about half of all Americans and account for 44 percent of U.S. economic activity. However, when it comes to utility programs and services, SMBs are often considered to be the “forgotten middle” between...
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The EV Revolution Can Get a Boost from Utilities

Electric vehicles – their widespread adoption has seemed almost inevitable, but adoption has been slower than many anticipated. Now, utilities are laying the groundwork to expedite that adoption. On their own, EVs are driving the creation...
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What Do Consumers Think About Beneficial Electrification?

As electric utilities and policymakers look for ways to address climate change and decarbonize the economy, electrification is one emerging strategy that is increasingly gaining attention in the industry. With the emissions rate of electricity...
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Engaging Lower-Income Consumers in Smart Energy

When we talk about smart energy, thoughts often veer toward rooftop solar panels, the latest smart thermostat models, home energy storage or a Tesla Model S electric vehicle – all of which require substantial investments. This has led some...
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Three Utility Programs That Are Empowering Consumers

The past decade has seen the proliferation of a number of technologies with the potential to help residential consumers engage in their energy use: smart meters, rooftop solar, electric vehicles, home battery storage, smart thermostats...
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Community-Centered Strategies for Engaging Consumers

SECC’s “2020 State of the Consumer” report points to education as a requirement to increase energy engagement and address the needs of today's consumers. Whether it’s research into rate design, distributed...
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Three Themes on Energy Consumers’ Needs for 2020

A decade ago, when SECC was founded, electricity providers typically viewed customers on the other end of the meter simply as “bill payers,” “ratepayers” or even “load.” While the energy industry has made progress in becoming more...
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Speaking Up on Climate Change and Smart Energy

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Ten years ago, I was asked not to talk about energy and climate change. I had just been hired to lead a new nonprofit created to represent consumer interests in smart grid deployments.
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What Are Consumers’ Top Needs Around DERs?

For many distributed energy resources (DERs), such as rooftop solar and residential battery storage, growth has been remarkable in recent years. Technologies have improved and prices...
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What Do SMBs Want from Alternative Electric Rates?

While TOU deployments and time-varying pricing pilots aimed at residential customers have garnered significant industry attention, the potential for moving SMB customers to alternative...
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What Do Americans Really Want from Electricity Pricing?

As intermittent renewable energy generation, DERs and EVs are increasingly integrated into the grid, electricity providers across the U.S. are...
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Improving the Billing Experience for Residential Customers

For many residential customers, the monthly power bill is a core part of their relationship with their electricity providers, and it may be the only routine touchpoint for some customers.
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