Connecting when it counts: Using advanced analytics to drive high-impact utility programs 

Join us for a hands-on workshop for utility program, planning, and analytics leaders to get more value from their Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI), customer, and program data. Over two days at the Evergy Training Facility in Kansas City, MO, we’ll work through what advanced analytics and AI can actually do for demand-side management (DSM) programs, from portfolio targeting to grid impact.

Alongside utility peers from across the country, you’ll examine how combining customer, program, and behavioral data sharpens targeting and personalizes customer engagement at scale, boosting participation and cost-effectiveness across your portfolio.

What you’ll take away:

• Find the customers worth targeting. Apply advanced segmentation, predictive analytics, and behavioral insights to find high-impact opportunities, lift program uptake, and reduce leakage.
• Design and test programs faster. Put AI-enabled analytics and rapid testing to work so you can accelerate program design, optimization, and measurement, all the while improving regulatory defensibility.
• Ease pressure on the grid. Use grid analytics to connect program impacts to load and system planning, so demand-side savings support reliability in addition to customer affordability.

Agenda 

Day 1 | October 21

12:30 PM | Welcome Lunch

2:00 PM | Analytics Foundations

Utilities hear plenty about both analytics and AI, but knowing how they differ, and how they work together, is key to unlocking business value. This opening session will establish a common foundation by defining core concepts, practical applications, and the role of data in driving strong DSM outcomes. ICF and Evergy will describe how utilities can use analytics, predictive insights, and emerging AI capabilities to improve customer targeting, program design, portfolio performance, and operational decision-making.

2:30 PM | How Are Utilities Currently Using Analytics and AI?

What does successful analytics adoption look like in practice? Utility leaders will share real-world examples of how they are using analytics and AI to improve DSM outcomes, along with the organizational realities that make success possible, from data quality and governance to cybersecurity and change management. Representing a range of adoption stages, panelists will discuss lessons learned as they moved from pilots and experimentation toward broader integration of analytics across their portfolios.

4:30 PM | Group Offsite Activity

6:30 PM | Dinner

Day 2 | October 22

9:00 AM | The Future of Utility Analytics and AI

As data, computing power, and AI capabilities evolve, utilities have new opportunities to transform how they to transform how they design, deliver, and measure programs. This forward-looking session will explore emerging technologies and market trends shaping the next generation of DSM analytics. Attendees will learn how to connect customer insights, grid impacts, digital twins, predictive analytics, and AI-enabled decision support into a more holistic program strategy.

9:30 AM–12:00 PM, 1:00–2:00 PM | Breakout Sessions: Building Your Analytics Roadmap

Participants will break into groups based on their current stage of analytics adoption and areas of interest to discuss challenges, opportunities, and next steps. Whether establishing a data foundation or actively scaling AI-enabled decision-making across programs, each group will leave with individualized roadmaps that align technology investments, organizational readiness, and business objectives with its stage of adoption.

2:00 PM | Key Takeaways and Closing Remarks

Please RSVP by September 22. There is no registration fee to attend, and more lodging and venue information is forthcoming. Please contact Kelly Schneider for more details.