Stories of Success: How Utilities Are Serving Smarter Consumers

Hear from your peers as we showcase award-winning, consumer-centric engagement programs and educational outreach efforts. Gain valuable insights, learn how to overcome common challenges and hear recommendations for program success.

New Approaches to Battery Programs

Join us for this session where we share some innovative approaches to battery programs—where overcoming high upfront cost of batteries has limited the growth of this highly flexible resource.

First, we’ll examines Eversource’s commercial and industrial (C&I) battery deployment within their VPP portfolio. Attendees will learn about the challenges, successes, and proven strategies from the program, gaining actionable insights for incorporating battery assets into their own demand response and virtual power plant initiatives. The discussion covers practical implementation steps for C&I segments and proven approaches for maximizing customer satisfaction and maintaining high participation rates throughout the program lifecycle.

Also, Base Power and Guadalupe Valley Electric (GVEC) will share the story of how they’re solving those issues. Base deploys residential storage behind-the-meter and continues to own the asset, making it dramatically cheaper to the homeowner and 24/7 dispatchable to the utility. Base aggregates the fleet and provides control of it to GVEC, who operates the batteries to generate savings for its membership through peak-shaving and market operations.

Are We Hitting the Brakes on EVs?

Has the termination of federal electric vehicle (EV) incentives changed the direction of consumer interest in electric transportation? Learn from your peers as we map out innovative ways utilities are engaging and educating new and existing EV owners.

The Path to Scale: Maximizing EV Managed Charging Value Through Collaboration Across Utility Siloes

Managed charging is evolving from small-scale pilots to scaled programs that actively manage EVs at distribution and bulk levels. Internal siloes across utility departments have emerged as a barrier to scaling and capturing the full EV value stack. To address this challenge, SEPA launched the Managed Charging Implementation Task Force (MCITF) in May 2025, bringing together 30 organizations, including utilities, software providers, consulting firms, and national labs, with experience scaling, designing, and evaluating managed charging programs. Together, they work to identify barriers, co-create industry best practices, and identify steps to advance progress across utility departments. This workshop convenes participants to share progress to date and engage in interactive discussions on industry priorities to help scale managed charging programs. Learnings will include program evaluation and lessons from utility regulatory, customer programs, and distribution and bulk system resource planning teams.

Batteries Included: How Consumers Are Adopting New Energy Storage Solutions

From using cleaner energy sources to addressing reliability concerns, consumers today seem more willing to adopt battery storage solutions. Hear from experts and your peers as we discuss how consumers are benefiting from these new opportunities and what is driving their adoption.

Community-Powered Virtual Power Plants: Unlocking Grid Services with EVs, Solar, and Storage

Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs) are pioneering virtual power plant (VPP) innovation by aligning community needs, climate goals, and customer value. This session will highlight how CCAs are deploying EV smart charging as the foundation for multi-device VPPs that scale grid services while keeping customers engaged. Drawing on lessons from multiple CCAs—including Ava Community Energy’s SmartHome Charging program (targeting 10,000 EV enrollments) and San Diego Community Power’s Solar Battery Savings program (supporting 1,600+ homes and 2,200 batteries for 7.2 MW of peak reduction)—the session will explore how EVs can serve as the first entry point for mass customer participation. Panelists from Optiwatt, Lunar Energy, and leading CCAs will discuss program design, regulatory considerations, customer engagement strategies, and incentive models that unify EVs, solar, and batteries into a community-scale VPP. Attendees will walk away with practical insights into how local programs are scaling DERs as reliable, dispatchable grid resources.

Bridging the Rural, Suburban and Urban Divide

“Location, location, location” might be a real estate professional’s mantra, but how does it impact a consumer’s energy outlook?

Discover how where a person lives impacts their energy values and behaviors, their willingness to engage in demand flexibility programs, their interest in home electrification and more.

AI at the Utility: Friend, Foe or Just Fine for Consumers?

SECC research shows continued growth in consumer adoption of and interest in AI, but trust issues remain for some consumers. Hear from industry experts as they look at how AI is helping shape new programs and services for consumers and discuss how to optimally address their concerns.