Across the energy sector, we’ve entered a moment defined by tension and opportunity. As SECC’s new “Connecting Cost to Value” playbook notes, “energy providers are being asked to explain a surge of investment at the exact moment customers are worried about affordability” and are watching their bills more closely than ever.

This convergence is reshaping what customers expect from their electricity providers and what they need to hear from them.

The forces driving today’s grid investments are familiar to those of us in the industry: electrification, decarbonization, extreme weather, DERs and the accelerating energy demands of AI data centers. However, for consumers, these forces show up in one place – the monthly bill. And when that bill rises, they want to know why, who pays and whether the costs are shared fairly.

In this month’s blog, we cover three key takeaways from the new playbook that can help electricity providers communicate clearly and credibly with their customers:

1. Communicate the “why” behind utility investments.

One of the clearest messages from the playbook is that customers are not looking for technical detail: They’re looking for clarity. They don’t distinguish between generation, transmission and distribution. They experience electricity as a single service, and they expect their providers to explain what’s changing and why.

That means energy providers must connect investments to outcomes customers can see and feel, such as fewer outages, faster restoration, improved resilience and long term affordability. When customers understand how today’s spending reduces tomorrow’s risks, they are far more receptive.

It also means addressing fairness head on. As the playbook notes, customers increasingly want reassurance that “they are not paying more than their fair share.” With new large loads coming online, like data centers and electrified fleets, transparency around cost allocation and stranded cost protections is essential to maintaining trust.

2. Set expectations around reliability and resiliency.

Reliability remains foundational, but expectations are shifting. With more people working from home and more aspects of daily life dependent on connectivity, even brief outages feel consequential. Customers want transparency about restoration priorities, real time information during events, and clear explanations of the tradeoffs involved in resilience investments. Proactive communication – before storms, before rate cases, before major projects – is no longer optional. It’s a requirement for trust.

3. Help consumers engage with beneficial programs.

Finally, the playbook highlights a persistent challenge: participation in beneficial programs remains low, even as offerings from providers are expanding. Customers often don’t know which programs apply to them, or they’re unsure whether the effort is worth the return. Reducing decision friction through personalization, timing, simplicity and clear value propositions is key.

As the playbook reminds us, engagement spikes at natural moments of attention: a high bill, a move, an outage, an equipment replacement, etc. Meeting customers in those moments with relevant, personalized options that are easy to act on can dramatically increase program participation.

The throughline across all three sections of the “Connecting Cost to Value” playbook is simple: trust is built when communication is clear, consistent and connected to what customers value most, i.e., affordability, reliability and fairness. In today’s age of uncertainty, that clarity is not just helpful. It’s essential.

To learn more about our practical, research driven roadmap for communicating with customers in a way that builds trust, read the new playbook here.