National Grid is expanding its implementation of the company’s Utility Customer Experience (UCX) platform. The AI-driven, end-to-end customer experience solution dramatically increased National Grid’s ability to align its low-income programs with customer needs, with initial pilots showing up to 120 percent higher enrollment in key programs. In 2018, National Grid piloted EnergySavvy’s advanced UCX platform with 650,000 income-qualified electric and/or gas customers.

A recent report from SECC said that research it conducted found that about half of consumers (49 percent) would definitely or probably use a platform that is “enabled by the new energy environment of connected technologies.” SECC described the platform as an online energy resource that consumers can access from their computer, smartphone or tablet.

Questline and DEFG have announced the launch of Pathfinder: Solar IQ, an innovative package of solar research and educational information for energy utilities and their customers. DEFG’s research features four distinct tracks: Customer Insights, Trend Analysis, Case Studies and Best Practices, and Regulatory and Risk. Questline brings the Solar Power Customer Journey to life via engaging, customer-facing educational content. With 75 percent of customers surveyed saying they wish they had more and better information before adding solar, utilities can become an important proactive, trusted resource.

Shell has agreed to acquire 100 percent of German-based energy storage firm Sonnen. This follows an investment by Shell in May 2018 and means that, post-regulatory approval and completion, Sonnen will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Shell. Sonnen offers smart energy storage to customers and offers digital energy services via its SonnenCommunity platform.

EIA recently determined that in 2015, the nation’s average lighting consumption varied by hundreds of kilowatt hours between the Midwest and the West Coast. The nation consumed an average of 1,105 kWh for lighting, but in the Midwest’s West North Central states, that figure went as high as 1,333, while the Pacific West Coast states saw it drop as low as 911 kWh. Hours of usage didn’t so much vary. Types and number of bulbs, however, contributed significantly to the regional variance.

Utilities in the U.S. are moving to a cleaner, more distributed power system, Utility Dive's sixth annual sector survey shows, but are unclear about how they will get there. The 2019 State of the Electric Utility Survey shows that power providers are continuing their decades-long transition away from large coal generators and toward more renewables and natural gas.