Public power utilities are under growing pressure to do more with less. With fewer staff, tighter budgets, rising customer expectations, and regulatory scrutiny, utilities are also expected to address increasing concerns around customer affordability. Yet many regional and community-based utilities are still relying on reactive, one-way communication strategies that drive call center volume, frustrate customers, and make it difficult to demonstrate service improvements to regulators and governing boards.

In this session, we’ll explore how public power utilities are modernizing customer communications by shifting to proactive, repeatable, and compliant messaging across digital channels, helping customers better understand outages, bills, and usage at a time when affordability and trust matter more than ever. Attendees will learn how reference-based messaging, TCPA controls, and automated outreach for outages, billing, and usage can reduce inbound calls, improve customer satisfaction, and drive measurable customer action without adding operational complexity.

Don’t miss this opportunity to explore CEERUM, a participatory energy-planning platform built for public power utilities and the communities they serve. CEERUM helps utilities bring data, stakeholders, and strategy into one place—making it easier to build awareness, educate decision-makers, uncover opportunities, leverage external resources, and build consensus around a shared path forward.

As public power leaders navigate rapid industry change, strategic planning has never been more essential. CEERUM uses local data to inform the planning process, strengthen alignment, and accelerate execution. It serves as a strategic communication tool that helps utilities communicate tradeoffs, compare scenarios, and engage boards, town officials, and community members in meaningful ways.

Public power utilities face growing expectations to deliver on energy efficiency, customer satisfaction, and community resilience — often with limited internal resources. Trees can play a powerful role in meeting these objectives when strategically integrated into utility initiatives.

In this podcast, we’ll explore how community tree distribution programs are being implemented by utilities across the country to:

Support right-tree-right-place energy savings

Strengthen customer relationships through visible, positive engagement

Advance water conservation and urban forestry goals

Provide clear metrics and reporting to demonstrate impact

You’ll hear how a turnkey approach can reduce the burden on staff while still delivering meaningful outcomes for utilities, customers, and communities alike.