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September was a busy month for the Encentiv Energy team, with two back-to-back trade shows. Our team attended E Source Forum in Denver from September 13th-16th, a trade show geared towards utilities with a focus on balancing sustainability with other priorities. The following week, the team exhibited at AEE World in Atlanta, which also emphasized energy efficiency and sustainability. At both shows, we highlighted our growing platform UtilityGenius, a leading source for energy efficiency information. Connecting with trade show attendees is always exciting for our team, and these two shows brought us plenty of takeaways. Here are a few of the most impactful things we’ve learned over the past month.
E Source Forum
Equitability was emphasized in many of the sessions we attended at E Source Forum. Sessions ranged from making utility programs overall more accessible to partnering with minority-owned businesses. The sustainability conversation often centers around environmental sustainability, but this focus on equity at E Source demonstrates a more holistic view of sustainability being adopted by those working in energy.
A large focus was also placed on electric vehicles. Overall, utilities are embracing the changing transportation landscape. There were talks on how utilities could even speed the transition to electric vehicles through market research and increased incentive offerings to their customer bases. There are also some practical concerns for this audience with the changing transportation industry. As EVs are adopted more frequently by the general public, the electric grid faces an even greater load. Utilities are strategizing how they will keep up with this increased demand.
AEE World
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has been a hot topic of conversation for anyone in the energy efficiency space over the last month. The conversations we had at AEE World were no different. The talk at the show was all about how the funds will affect the future of energy efficiency. IRA conversations were heard all over the show floor as attendees tried to understand the IRA’s suite of financial incentives to encourage individuals and businesses to invest in clean, efficient alternatives for homes and businesses. The general consensus was that the IRA could drastically change the landscape of the energy sector.
