Personalizing affordability: What new customer research means for utilities

Three out of four customers are frustrated by what they pay for electricity. But a shared frustration doesn’t mean a shared experience, and it doesn’t call for a one-size-fits-all solution. That tension sits at the center of ICF’s 2026 Energy Customer Insights Report: Energy Affordability and the Customer Experience.

Our national survey of residential customers found that households with similar electric bills can feel the weight of those costs in very different ways. The report identifies four Affordability Profiles shaped by how customers experience cost pressure and emotional burden, their confidence in managing household energy costs, and their readiness to act. Across those profiles, there are meaningful differences in what customers are doing to save on their bills, the barriers they face, and how trust can forge a stronger relationship with their utility.

Join ICF experts for an inside look at your customers’ affordability experience, and walk away with practical strategies to boost program participation and reach customers before pressure builds.

What you’ll learn:

• The four Affordability Profiles and what each needs from its utility
• Which customers are feeling the squeeze, and why utilities often miss them
• Why some customers’ cost-saving efforts aren’t paying off, and which actions deliver real results
• What motivates customers to participate in programs and what holds them back
• Steps utilities can take to build trust and become credible affordability partners