Utility Leaders Summit

The discussions throughout the summit surfaced hard questions, practical insights, and shared challenges. While the event brought together a wide range of perspectives, a common thread emerged: utilities are facing many of the same pressures and are looking for actionable, collaborative solutions. As demand grows and affordability takes center stage, continued dialogue and shared learning will be essential.

Below, we’ve captured key takeaways from each session. Contact us if you'd like more information about a topic or if you'd like us to connect you to one of our presenters or attendees.

Strategic perspectives and advice for planning the future of customer programs, resource adequacy, and grid modernization

The summit opened with a clear message: utilities must redefine how they plan for reliability, resilience, and affordability, especially as demand growth puts new pressure on all three. Panelists stressed that reliability can’t be solved by building alone. It requires smarter system design, customer integration, and stronger regulatory engagement. As one attendee put it, “Policy must be informed by reality, not the other way around.” 

Panelists also made clear that affordability is quickly rising to the top of the priority list. To meet that challenge, affordability must be reframed as a long-term value proposition, not just short-term cost control. Resilience planning needs to go beyond past methods to meet today’s risks and customer expectations. ICF’s HERO platform was highlighted as a way to align system needs, customer priorities, and future scenarios through data-driven planning. The session closed with a call for utilities to engage regulators, utility leadership, and customers in conversations—with facts, urgency, and clarity.

Powering up: How tech leaders and utilities are partnering to meet the surging grid

This session kicked off with key findings from ICF’s recent demand growth report, which projects that U.S. electricity demand could grow by as much as 25% by 2030—driven largely by AI, data centers, and electrification. The report underscored the urgent need for sophisticated integrated system planning and scenario-based risk evaluation to understand the entire utility system, including the impacts of rising demand, resource options to meet demand, and other goals.

Against that backdrop, leaders from the tech industry offered a glimpse into how they’re partnering with utilities to co-plan resources, streamline siting, and bring new technologies like advanced geothermal online. 

Planning for the future: Scalable solutions to address load growth and affordability

The math is changing. Utilities are adapting quickly, building portfolios that pull harder on demand-side solutions including virtual power plants, battery storage, distributed solar, and smarter pricing. But delivering value at scale requires more than tech—it requires simplicity, automation, and customer-centered design. Speakers called for programs that are as easy to join as they are impactful

AI to the rescue—Solving grid challenges with the power of AI

AI may be the utility industry’s biggest opportunity and biggest unknown. LADWP and ICF explored how AI, paired with digital twins and real-time data, can help forecast demand, optimize assets, and improve planning. The message: AI can extend grid capacity and customer insight, but only if it’s built on trusted data and guided by clear human oversight.

Building trust amid rate hikes—How PSEG turned a tough year into a brand win

Similar to other utilities at the Summit, affordability is one of PSEG’s priorities. Faced with significant rate increases, PSEG took an unconventional approach by leading with empathy, storytelling, and transparency. This session walked through the brand campaign that reshaped the company’s brand identity, turned customer frustration into understanding, and earned internal and external buy-in. The key lesson: trust is built when utility messaging aligns with customer realities. In ICF’s Energy Customer Insights report, we found that 74% of surveyed utility customers expect utilities to provide transparent billing and want to understand more about why it’s happening and what can be done to manage it.

Better together: How gas and electric utilities can partner and learn from each other

Utilities from across the gas and electric spectrum shared how collaboration is helping them tackle shared priorities including decarbonization, affordability, resiliency, and customer engagement. Panelists emphasized the value of joint planning, cross-training, and coordinated messaging, with a focus on using their complementary strengths to deliver unified outcomes. As one attendee put it, “We need to have better partnerships. If we don’t disrupt ourselves, someone else will do it. The utility industry is ripe for disruption so collaboration is key.”

Rethinking utility programs for a smarter, more resilient future

The January wildfires in Los Angeles County highlighted the importance of the kind of targeted, community-focused resilience efforts that programs like LA County’s SoCalREN have been advancing for years. The SoCal REN program has built trusted partnerships with NGOs and local leaders to engage communities directly, supporting greater program impact. Equity is essential to avoid creating disparities when pursuing greenhouse gas or energy goals. Resilience requires more than grid hardening—it demands local, inclusive, and co-developed solutions that support vulnerable communities.

With limited resources, we must get creative in our ability to identify and stack value from programs, as well as sources of funding.