Most utility programs are built on a familiar formula: communicate the benefits customers care about, offer attractive incentives, and make it easy to participate. When those pieces come together, customer participation should follow.
It's a sound strategy. But after spending the past year researching how customers evaluate home improvements and decide whether to participate in energy programs, I've become convinced there's another factor that deserves just as much attention: customer readiness.
Utilities have invested heavily in awareness campaigns, rebates, contractor networks, and education. Yet many customers still don't engage—not because they aren't interested, but because electrification simply isn't where they are in their journey.
Our recent national study surveyed 350 U.S. homeowners to better understand what influences decisions around electrification and home energy improvements. While the research focused on homeowners, the insights extend well beyond a single audience. They reveal broader patterns in how residential customers prioritize investments, evaluate opportunities, and decide when they're ready to act.
For utilities, that distinction matters because participation isn't determined by awareness alone. It's shaped by timing, competing priorities, and whether a program aligns with where customers are today.
Utilities naturally spend a great deal of time thinking about equipment: heat pumps, heat pump water heaters, battery storage, smart thermostats, and other advanced technologies.
Customers rarely think that way.
When we asked survey participants how they would spend a hypothetical $20,000 on home improvements, kitchens, bathrooms, roofing, flooring, and additional living space topped the list. Energy-related improvements represented only a small percentage of responses. At first glance, that may seem discouraging. But I see it as an opportunity.
Rather than asking customers to prioritize electrification over the projects they already want to complete, utilities can position electrification as a natural part of those investments. A kitchen renovation creates an opportunity to introduce induction cooking. A bathroom remodel may be the right time to discuss a heat pump water heater. Roof replacement can naturally lead to conversations about solar. Instead of asking customers to add another project to their list, we can show them how electrification complements improvements they're already planning. That shift may seem subtle, but it fundamentally changes the conversation.
Affordability remains one of the biggest barriers to participation, but our research suggests it isn't the only one.
Many customers simply aren't ready to replace equipment that still works. Others need weatherization improvements or electrical upgrades before electrification becomes practical. Some are uncertain how new technologies will affect their monthly energy bills. And for many households, competing home priorities naturally take precedence.
Each of these barriers requires a different solution. That's why utilities should begin thinking less about individual measures and more about customer pathways.
Not every household is ready for full electrification today. But many are ready for insulation upgrades, panel improvements, smart thermostats, or education that prepares them for future opportunities. Those earlier steps shouldn't be viewed as delays. They're often the foundation that makes future participation possible.
One of the biggest takeaways from this year's research wasn't a statistic; it was a reminder that customers don't experience utility programs the way utilities organize them. They don't think in terms of weatherization, electrification, demand response, or distributed energy resources. They think about making their homes more comfortable, more reliable, more affordable, and easier to maintain.
The more we design programs around that journey instead of individual technologies, the more intuitive participation becomes.
That might mean coordinating incentives across programs instead of promoting them independently. It might mean connecting weatherization with electrification rather than treating them as separate initiatives. It might mean recognizing that a customer who isn't ready for a heat pump today could become an excellent candidate a year or two from now if we've continued the relationship and helped them prepare along the way. Program success isn't always about finding more interested customers—sometimes it's about meeting customers where they are.
Every year I conduct research because our industry is constantly evolving. Technologies improve. Incentives change. Customer expectations shift. What doesn't change is the importance of understanding the people we're trying to serve.
The utilities that achieve the greatest long-term success won't necessarily be the ones offering the largest rebates or promoting the newest technologies. They'll be the ones designing programs that reflect how customers actually make decisions and that support them throughout their journey, not just at the point of purchase.
When we shift our focus from promoting technologies to understanding customer readiness, participation becomes a more natural outcome.
Ready to explore the complete research? Download Behind the Meter: A Research-Backed Guide to Electrification and Customer Participation. You'll find deeper insights into customer segmentation, adoption barriers, messaging strategies, and practical recommendations to help design programs that connect more meaningfully with customers and drive greater participation.