As an energy consultant, we have had the privilege of working with businesses, municipalities, and communities to design and implement energy efficiency programs that make a tangible difference. While our primary goal has always been to drive sustainability and reduce energy consumption, there’s an essential dimension to this work that demands greater attention: diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
There are many reasons why DEI should be a core consideration in energy programs. Energy is not just a technical issue; it’s a human one. Communities are diverse, and their needs, challenges, and opportunities vary widely. Ignoring these differences not only limits the reach of energy programs but can also exacerbate existing inequities.
We are currently working with a utility client to re-evaluate their portfolio to better meet their customer needs. The outcomes of the project will be used to improve program participation and identify opportunities to create new programs based on unmet customer needs. The primary focus of this energy consulting initiative is the underserved customer group. During this time, we conducted interviews, focus groups and took a deep look at their customer data. We will be conducting more customer focus groups, surveys, and in-depth interviews early next year. Already, we’ve learned so much.
Among the many things we’ve learned, three stand out.
1. Initial customer needs assessments.When starting a new customer utility program, customer needs assessments conducted prior to program launch will have a substantial impact on improving customer program participation and marketing strategy.
2. Define the customer data.Customer data definitions should be thoroughly audited to ensure the underserved population definitions are clear, and that key demographic data is included.
3. Use a mixed methodology for conducting research.When conducting research among underserved customers, if possible, pursue mixed-mode research enlisting the support of community organizations.
The purpose of this article is to provide more detail about our conclusions with the hope that they will guide you to a clearer focus on underserved communities.
During the initial phase of our research, we interviewed internal stakeholders and Community Based Organization (CBO) leads. After the data was collected, we performed a gap analysis, where we compared the feedback from the internal stakeholder interviews to the CBO responses to identify similarities and differences in knowledge, perceptions and attitudes.
First, we found a disconnect in what was considered a functional need of the customer. Stakeholders focused on informational needs and better messaging, while acknowledging the importance of affordability. Whereas CBOs focused overwhelmingly on affordability, lack of time with information as a distant third. Many underserved communities lack the financial resources or time to consider enrollment in programs. If materials aren’t translated into primary languages, the result is a growing seed of distrust and suspicion.
We also found that stakeholders felt community involvement was an important part of increasing awareness, whereas CBOs focused on building trust, and empathy. These overarching findings along with other detailed findings helped us identify an immediate disconnect between values and needs, that shaped not only the awareness of the programs but also the value of the programs themselves.
If underserved customers were included in the conversation at the inception of the programs, these programs would align with their needs. Marketing material and outreach strategies would be developed to address these needs, further increasing the effectiveness and participation rates of the programs. Starting a program with a customer needs assessment focusing on underserved communities is a risk mitigation strategy. It helps ensure that the research and planning that is necessary to create a program is validated by customers before the program is launched. These seemingly basic understandings of core needs could be infused in the program development before it is launched, potentially saving significant costs, time and resources.
As part of our research, we analyzed our client’s customer information to uncover new insights and to build our sample source for the customer focus groups, surveys and in-depth interviews. We were able to identify gaps in the data that would make it difficult to accurately identify ethnicity, primary language, or other demographic variables essential in gaining deeper insights into underserved customer groups.
We found two issues with the data regarding identifying underserved communities. First, the existing fields did not provide values that could identify key ethnicity, language customer segments. Second, the commercial and industrial data did not include any fields that could identify underserved customer segments. To remedy this, we were able to identify third-party sources that we could use to append to their existing data sources, which helped us gain deeper, more relevant insights of their customers. A focus on underserved populations should include a thorough data audit to ensure under-served population definitions are clear, and that key profiling data is included.
It is common practice to use online survey methodologies for customer research. This approach can save time and costs. However, it inherently biases the responses for customer segments who have easy access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone. As a result, this also biases the sample to exclude disadvantaged customer segments. For example, customers who are non-native English speaking may turn to family members or trusted community members for information rather than getting this information from email invites or online posts.
In addition, many low-income customers may not have easy access to these devices. To ensure underserved communities are represented in our research, we are pursuing a mixed-method design, which includes online surveys, phone interviews and in-person paper interviews. All modes include the opportunity for customers to complete the survey with translated versions or with trained non-English speaking interviewers. We plan to enlist the aid of community liaisons and CBOs to help promote the survey, and to work with our team to provide translated paper versions to customers as well. Data from each mode will be compared to control for modal differences. This methodology will clearly require more resources and costs than an online survey, but we feel strongly that the trade-off to ensure these populations are heard is worth the effort.
We’ve just scratched the surface of insights and learnings to ensure the underserved communities are included in program development and research. We still have a lot of work to do, but I’ve already learned a lot along the way.
We hope these lessons are helpful to you as you engage with underserved communities in your programs. First, customer needs assessments could save significant costs, time, and resources if they are a part of the initial program development process. Second, customer data should be thoroughly audited to ensure underserved population definitions are clear, and that key demographic data is included. Third, when conducting research among underserved customers, if possible, pursue mixed-mode research enlisting the support of community organizations.
For quick reference, we’ve provided an infographic that summarizes these learnings. We’ve also included a few other insights that you may want to consider if you are choosing to expand your energy initiatives to include or if you are focusing on underserved populations.
Underserved communities should continue to be a focus for energy utility companies to ensure resources are provided to the communities who need them most; EIP is dedicated to promoting this vital effort. This dedication starts from within, with our hiring practices, where we partner with hiring firms that support diverse candidates. This has created an EIP culture rooted by a team of diverse backgrounds and wide, rich experiences. Our dedication expands to our work, where over half of all our projects involve a DEI focus. These projects include connecting disadvantaged families with resources for manufactured or mobile homes, providing home air quality energy savings to low-income customers, and reducing Therm outputs within disadvantaged communities. We have also created an innovative solution to apply Strategic Energy Management (SEM), traditionally implemented in C&I programs, to low-moderate income multi-family homes.
Please feel free to share your thoughts on this blog and any additional learnings you’ve developed in your programs or initiatives that focus on underserved communities in the comments below.
Author: Michael Griego, Program Manager