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Customer Research

Understand the people behind your programs. Customer Research combines advanced analytics and human-centered insights to uncover motivations, barriers, and opportunities—helping utilities and energy partners design programs that improve participation, strengthen equity, and align customer values and expectations.

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Capture the full customer perspective

Build a comprehensive, evidence-driven understanding of customer behaviors, motivations, and barriers. We combine quantitative surveys, advanced analytics, and qualitative methods such as focus groups, in-depth interviews, and diary studies to reveal not only what customers do, but why. These impartial insights inform program design, support goal setting, and enhance regulatory filings.

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Apply customer understanding to program design

Use research to guide real-world decisions. We apply ethnography, journey mapping, and persona development to inform pilot design, emerging technology assessments, and operational strategy that improves measurable savings, flexibility, and participation across diverse customer segments.

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Center customer voices in decision-making

Ensure programs reflect lived experiences and community needs. We partner with utilities, regional energy organizations, and regulators to embed affordability, access, and resiliency goals into decision-making that builds trust and lasting engagement.

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Behavioral insight

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Equity and access

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Program participation

Case Study

How a customer first approach transformed a Canadian utility's customer programs

Our client faced surging bill complaints and stalled efficiency program growth - so they called E Source. Using journey mapping and voice of customer research, we helped them redesign the moments that matter most, without a systems overhaul.

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Newfoundland Coastline

Using data-driven insights to design a meaningful payment assistance campaign for LMI customers

E Source empowers Ameren Illinois to strengthen its energy efficiency portfolio through insights that drive equitable outcomes, improve performance, and advance statewide policy leadership.

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2025 Residential Products, Programs, and Services

How Ameren deployed an outage strategy to increase customer satisfaction by 68%

E Source empowers Ameren Illinois to strengthen its energy efficiency portfolio through insights that drive equitable outcomes, improve performance, and advance statewide policy leadership.

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The midstream advantage: Real benefits and realistic expectations in residential efficiency measures
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Insights

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Low- and moderate-income customer journey mapping: key findings from two E Source studies

Many households that struggle to pay their utility bills, often low- and moderate-income (LMI) are increasingly turning to utility energy assistance and demand-side management (DSM) offerings - such as home energy efficiency and weatherization upgrades - to provide immediate relief, reduce their
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How can utilities manage the new load and cost of data centers?

Navigating the data center sector: Key trends, opportunities, and challenges for utilities

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Do residential customers recommend demand-side management programs?

Turning large customers into grid assets, before the next peak event

Key takeaways Large business customers enrolled in interruptible programs represent some of the most flexible, dispatchable capacity on the system, but only if those relationships are actively maintained. Employee turnover an
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Design programs that reflect your customers.

Connect with our team today to see how Customer Research can help you capture diverse perspectives, improve equity outcomes, and design programs that deliver measurable, customer-centered results.