How PG&E’s Energy Action Guide Helps Millions Navigate Clean Energy
In response to rising customer expectations, fragmented program discovery, and a product-focused marketplace that no longer reflected its strategy, PG&E partnered with Bellawatt to build a platform designed for long-term success.
Over five phases of development, they:
Replaced a static tool with a modular, customer-first platform built for continuous iteration
Introduced a multi-step journey wizard to surface relevant programs, incentives, and resources by user context
Delivered a custom CMS that empowers PG&E teams to manage content, priority logic, and campaign updates independently
Enabled mobile-first, multilingual access for diverse customer segments
Launched interactive home visualizations and semantic search to support electrification learning at any stage
Drove measurable outcomes, including a 14% bounce rate and $1.8M+ in electrification-related conversions
In 2021, PG&E was frustrated with its online energy efficiency marketplace. The tool was falling behind customer needs due in large part to its limited scope – it showcased products, but failed to address the growing number of customer and internal stakeholder questions about PG&E’s many available programs. As California’s energy landscape evolved, so did the needs of its customers. They weren’t just shopping for light bulbs or smart thermostats anymore; they were trying to understand which electrification upgrades made sense for their homes, what rebates they qualified for, and how to navigate increasingly complex decisions around cost, comfort, and carbon.
PG&E recognized that it needed more than a marketplace. It needed a digital experience that could blend product discovery with program education, reflect customer goals, and guide users toward the right next step, whatever that step might be. That vision became the Energy Action Guide: a platform built to support millions of Californians across housing types, income levels, and energy literacy. Developed in partnership with Bellawatt, the Guide quickly grew into a flexible, responsive system that continues to evolve in real time with new technologies, policies, and user behavior.
Lost in the Labyrinth
For years, PG&E’s internal research showed a persistent theme: people didn’t understand their energy options. They didn’t know how to lower their bills or what rate plans they qualified for. And they didn’t trust the tools they had. Clunky interfaces, outdated content, and eligibility tools that led nowhere left customers feeling frustrated and misled.
The pain wasn’t just felt by customers. PG&E’s internal teams – especially those tasked with outreach and education – were constrained by rigid systems, outdated interfaces, and limited visibility into user behavior. Meanwhile, California’s policy environment was growing more ambitious. With mandates to deploy 6 million heat pumps by 2030 and sell only emissions-free vehicles by 2035, utilities like PG&E were expected to be catalysts for transformation. But how could they do that if customers couldn’t even figure out which appliance to buy, or which rebate applied to them?
The proliferation of incentives, rate plans, and distributed energy programs only made things more complicated. The energy landscape was increasingly becoming a labyrinth. Customers needed more than information. They needed guidance.
Designing a Living Platform for the Clean Energy Age
Bellawatt approached this challenge not as a one-time software delivery, but as a long-term partnership, grounded in close collaboration and a continuous pulse on customer and industry needs. Working side by side with PG&E teams, the Energy Action Guide evolved through five major phases of development, growing into a flexible, scalable, and future-forward platform that adapts to customer needs and the fast-moving landscape of the energy industry.
Phase 1: Launching the Foundation
In June 2022, the Guide launched with a powerful core: a combined product and program discovery engine. Customers could filter, sort, and search for rebate-eligible products. More importantly, they could see how products tied into PG&E programs and incentives. The initial platform reflected a crucial reframe: the experience was centered on transformation more so than transactions.
Phase 2: Customizable and Commercial-Ready
Later that year, the platform gained a multi-step wizard to guide customers based on their home type, goals, and constraints. The expanded customization customers saw on the front end was matched behind the scenes – a content management system gave PG&E’s team the ability to update and evolve resources in real time, making the platform more responsive and locally relevant. And for the first time, small- and medium-sized businesses were brought into the fold through a tailored experience that surfaced eligible incentives and technologies based on commercial customer needs.
Phase 3: Reducing Friction, Inspiring Action
This phase focused on helping users move from curiosity to action. We introduced side-by-side product comparison tools, making it easier for customers to weigh the benefits of different models, prices, and energy savings without jumping between tabs. Installation education was boosted through enriched product detail views and dedicated resource pages that outlined key steps, typical costs, timelines, and what to expect during the upgrade process. And for customers concerned about affordability, we integrated GoGreen Financing directly into the experience, allowing users to explore low-interest financing options as part of their decision-making flow. All of these upgrades were designed to lower the barriers that keep people from upgrading their homes.
Phase 4: Optimizing for On-the-Go Users
Recognizing that more than half of users engage on mobile, the team delivered a mobile-first redesign. We went beyond standard responsiveness to create a smoother, more inclusive experience for all users. The update prioritized ease of use for lower-income and multilingual customers, minimized scroll fatigue through cleaner navigation, and ensured accessibility across devices and user abilities. A new event banner feature also gave PG&E the ability to share urgent updates, like grid alerts or demand response events, directly within the platform, eliminating reliance on third-party systems.
Phase 5: AI, Interactivity, and the Next Chapter of Engagement
The latest chapter in the Guide’s evolution introduced features that reflect where energy engagement is heading. An AI-enabled semantic search engine helps customers ask real questions such as “How do I lower my bill?” or “Are there rebates for replacing my dryer?” and receive meaningful answers. Meanwhile, a new “Rooms” feature allows users to explore interactive, isometric home layouts that showcase electrification upgrades room by room. Together, these tools turn abstract concepts into tangible possibilities, making whole-home electrification feel less like a buzzword and more like a plan.
Real Voices for Better Outcomes
What’s made the Guide so successful isn’t just its features – it’s the discovery that underpins them. Bellawatt conducted extensive user research, interviewing PG&E customers, field experts, and experts from across the utility sector to uncover pain points, behaviors, and unmet needs.
This research reshaped PG&E’s own assumptions. “We have learned so much about our customer base,” said Ryan, Product Manager for Electrification & Energy Efficiency. “There were things we had overlooked because we assumed we knew the answer. Through Bellawatt’s research, we got a bigger picture.”
The Guide was designed not only for energy-savvy homeowners, but for renters, multifamily residents, and those enrolled in income-qualified programs. Financial savings remained the most important motivator, but other drivers – home comfort, safety, and reliability – were layered into how the Guide prioritizes and presents content.
Barriers like installation confusion, skepticism about performance, and regulatory hurdles were directly addressed through the content model. And by enabling customers to filter by home type, income, and goals, the Guide makes equity a design principle, not an afterthought.
By the Numbers: How the Guide Is Driving Results
The numbers tell a clear story. Bounce rates have dropped to 14%, far better than the 42% energy industry average. Returning user rates now stand at 16%, more than twice the rate achieved by PG&E’s prior vendor. And users have made more than $1.8 million in electrification and resiliency product purchases through the Guide in under two years.
Engagement with program and rebate resources is especially strong: about 35% of site traffic goes to these sections, and over half of those users click through to enrollment or application pages. That’s real movement down the funnel. That’s action!
The Guide also boasts a lightning-fast page load time of 1.31 seconds, significantly faster than the industry average of 2.28 seconds. Why does that matter? Because every second of delay can drop a CSAT score by 16%. When you reduce friction, you unlock follow-through.
A Utility-Wide Shift in What’s Possible
Internally, the Guide has transformed how PG&E thinks about customer engagement. Before, digital projects were slow-moving, siloed, and often outdated upon arrival. Now, teams across PG&E point to the Guide as a model for agile, user-driven development.
That shift was made possible by more than just a new platform; it was fueled by a different kind of partnership. Bellawatt brought not just software, but a perspective that challenged outdated assumptions and helped reframe what’s possible. Ryan summarized it best: “I would classify Bellawatt as energy consultants. They bring products and services to customers that help them understand their energy better, and what they can do to manage or improve their behavior.”
Charting the Course for California’s Electric Future
The Energy Action Guide isn’t just a tool. It’s a foundation for PG&E’s long-term clean energy strategy. As California moves closer to 2030 climate mandates, the Guide will serve as a critical platform for education, enrollment, and impact. But more than keeping up with policy, the Guide’s evolution is about staying ahead of what customers need next.
In a world of increasing energy complexity, PG&E chose not to oversimplify, but to clarify. The Guide helps customers navigate their options with the context and confidence they need to take action.
Let’s chat about what empowered action could look like for your customers.
