When I first started in the energy industry fresh out of school, my colleagues referred to customers as “ratepayers” and utility customer departments were named "Meter To Cash." One director I worked with would often say “load thinks” or “load wants,” as if kWs were moody.

But back then, none of this was surprising. There was no AMI, no EVs, climate change wasn’t a socialized concern, and energy prices were low relative to household incomes. Everyone I knew had a candle ready for a power outage, which didn’t disrupt life much beyond not being able to watch Sportscenter.

Today, electricity matters. A lot. I don’t need to tell you that we’re going through an energy transition. Outside of independent power producers, energy companies cannot achieve their own goals by themselves — they need customers to be collaborators and partners.