ICF Podcast

Tune in to Energy in 30 hosted by Joan Collins and David Meisegeier. On our thirteenth episode, "Driving the utility industry toward equity," hear from Jeff Brown, energy efficiency and consumer programs manager at the Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO), and Karen Ehrhardt-Martinez, director of behavioral science and customer insights at ICF. Together, they discuss how energy utilities can effectively tackle the issue of customer equity in their energy efficiency programs.

Topics in today’s episode include:

• How today’s utilities benchmark their progress toward customer equity.
• Starting points for more effective engagement with utility customers.
• The role of behavioral economics in framing how we think about energy use.
• The importance of more customer-centric models of energy efficiency.

Tune in to Energy in 30 hosted by Joan Collins and David Meisegeier. On our twelfth episode, "Insights for a sustainable and low-emissions future," hear from ICF Climate Center Executive Director Michael Jung. Together, we discuss the Climate Center’s mission to establish clear, practical pathways for reaching ambitious climate goals and the role of climate resiliency in addressing issues of equity and social justice.

Topics in today’s episode include:

Tune in to Energy in 30 hosted by Joan Collins and David Meisegeier. On our eleventh episode, "Aligning utility branding with industry transformation," hear from ICF Senior Partner of Integrated Communications Matt Silverman and Karen Cleeve, senior vice president of communications for PSEG, New Jersey’s largest utility. Together, they discuss PSEG’s recent brand refresh and how utilities can reposition themselves to better represent their values and the transformation that’s happening in the industry.

Topics in today’s episode include:

• Aligning a brand refresh with business strategy to improve stakeholder interactions
• Understanding shifting expectations for utilities
• Branding as a representation of values and purpose
• The PSEG origin story as inspiration for defining organizational DNA
• Gaining buy-in from all employees to drive brand unity
• Communicating a brand refresh to the public
• C-suite support is a critical component to the process

As 988 takes shape across the country as the replacement for the 10-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline—part of the bipartisan National Suicide Hotline Designation Act—states continue to respond to the rise in workforce demand.

In this second episode of our series on building and preparing the crisis services workforce, host Taylor Moore, director of research science at ICF, discusses the challenges and successes in scaling 988 across Missouri. He’s joined by Casey Muckler, a suicide prevention specialist with the Missouri Department of Mental Health to explore the ways in which organizations can recruit, train, support, and retain a dedicated and inclusive workforce. Together, they cover topics including:

• Responding to and preparing for an increase in 988 calls—and readying the workforce for even further anticipated influxes
• Training support replacing qualification requirements to create a robust workforce
• Supporting crisis specialists to make them feel confident, comfortable, and empowered
• How call centers can leverage flexibility and remote opportunities to fill open positions
• Developing a comprehensive, trauma-informed training curriculum to provide high quality of care
• Delivering culturally responsive, person-first services to the public
• Securing funding for expanded services
• Recommendations for other state agencies and behavioral health care providers

Tune in to Energy in 30 hosted by Joan Collins and David Meisegeier. On our tenth episode, "IRA and IIJA strategies for utilities," hear from our thought leaders Michael Jung, Erica Larson, and Justin Rodgers as they share their thoughts on the impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Together, they discuss trends among utilities and within the energy sector as implementation of the legislation takes shape.

Topics in today’s episode include:

• Opportunities for the reinvention of energy infrastructure with a focus on equity
• The increase of funding and financial assistance for customers through state programs, local governments, nonprofits, and other players
• Shifting toward utility customer and community engagement
• Opportunities for increased transparency as stakeholders track money from grants and tax credits
• Consumer-owned utilities taking a more active role as asset owners and operators for renewal power and energy infrastructure
• Breaking down internal and external silos to improve energy resiliency

In 2022, the U.S. transitioned the 10-digit National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to 988 as part of the bipartisan National Suicide Hotline Designation Act. To address the nation’s mental health crisis and increase access to crisis care, the transition to 988 demands increased call center capacity to support the influx in callers.

In this podcast, Taylor Moore, director of research science at ICF, discusses the need for a prepared and diverse workforce in crisis call centers with colleague Kary James, vice president of equity and inclusion for the public sector at ICF. They are joined by Erik Jacobsen from Rocky Mountain Crisis Partners to discuss the shifting landscape of crisis workforce development. Together, they cover topics including:

• The transition to 988 in Colorado and beyond
• The impact of remote work on the crisis care workforce
• Supporting the mental health needs of crisis care staff
• The importance of adequate staffing for crisis call centers
• Expanding the cultural responsiveness of the industry’s workforce
• The need for a diverse and prepared workforce

Tune in to Energy in 30 hosted by Joan Collins and David Meisegeier. On our ninth episode, "Trends in reaching global decarbonization goals," hear from Mark Allington, vice president, energy in Europe and Asia. With more than 30 years of experience in the industry, Mark provides insight into the long-term goals, challenges, and opportunities faced by the global energy community’s commitment to decarbonization.

Topics in today’s episode include:

• Tackling industrial decarbonization in Europe and the UK
• Carbon capture technology
• Electrification and clean energy trends
• Direct decarbonization support programs and funds
• Consumer participation and measures to impact household choices

Tune in to Energy in 30 hosted by Joan Collins and David Meisegeier. On our eighth episode, "EV trends for consumers and utilities," hear from Emily Phan-Gruber, associate manager for transportation electrification at Duquesne Light Company (DLC), the utility powering the Pittsburgh area. She joins ICF Vice President for Transportation Electrification, Stacy Noblet, to discuss the state of local and national electric vehicle (EV) adoption and how utilities can lead the way in innovative programs.

Topics in today’s episode include:

• Forecasting EV adoption for both residential and commercial applications
• Understanding local and national trends in policy support
• Load management strategy
• Understanding the biggest barriers to EV adoption, including resistance to change
• Adopting charging connection standards

In episode 9 of Energy Renewed, Matt Robison talks with Con Edison Director of Statewide Data Integration Damian Sciano and Patricia D’Costa, ICF Lead Energy Advisory Consultant. As New York’s utilities and regulators lead the way in harnessing big data potential, Damian and Patricia share insights into lessons learned and how other stakeholders around the country can plan for similar orders. Topics covered include:

• An overview of the New York data orders
• How lessons learned may inform other states looking to improve data access
• The importance of value-driven data access use cases for utilities, regulators, and third parties
• The evolution of data access and potential future applications
• The importance of subject matter experts and stakeholder collaboration
• Implementation tactics and risk management

Tune in to Energy in 30 hosted by Joan Collins and David Meisegeier. On our seventh episode, "Breaking silos for successful transformation," hear from Nathan Morey, manager of product development of the Arizona-based Salt River Project (SRP). Nathan is responsible for helping integrate customer-facing programs and initiatives with the utility’s system-wide planning efforts. Discover the ways in which he and his team helped to break down silos to create an integrated planning process and better optimize overall strategy planning.

Topics in today’s episode include:

• Breaking down silos to develop strategic planning processes
• Adapting processes to other efforts like annual and financial planning
• Taking proven technologies and delivering them to customers at scale
• Balancing proven technology adoption with new, innovative solutions