Episode #19: ‘Putting People First’ with Kristol Simms of Ameren Illinois - [an Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast]

Utilities are, first and foremost, a people business. The product being sold to customers isn’t a luxury, but rather an essential product for daily lives and ensuring customers’ safety and wellbeing. As such, safe and reliable delivery is paramount and making sure that all customers have the ability to afford energy is a requirement. Recognizing how energy efficiency programs from utilities can play a key role in those goals, especially in assuring affordability for low-income or disadvantaged customers, Ameren Illinois has become a recognized leader in ensuring energy efficiency is provided for all, as evidenced by them winning the 2020 AESP Award for ‘Outstanding Achievement in Customer Engagement.’

Leading this charge to assure that Ameren Illinois innovated in ways to help low-income residents, as well as small and minority-owned businesses, capitalize on energy efficiency programs has been Kristol Simms, Director of Energy Efficiency Strategy & Innovation. Kristol joins Jason Price and Matt Chester for a conversation about how Ameren Illinois continually puts people first and what the utility sector should be doing to embrace the idea of energy efficiency for all.

Key Links:

Kristol Simms’s Energy Central Profile: https://energycentral.com/member/profile/241660

Energy Efficiency For All: Market Development at Ameren Illinois: https://energycentral.com/o/leidos/energy-efficiency-all-market-development-ameren-illinois-webinar-brought-you

AESP Conference Impressions from Kristol Simms: https://energycentral.com/c/ee/aesp-conference-feedback

As a reminder, the Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast is always looking for the authors of the most insightful articles and the members with most impactful voices within the Energy Central community so we can invite them to discuss further so we can dive even deeper into these compelling topics. Posting twice per month (on the second and fourth Tuesdays), we'll seek to connect with professionals in the utility industry who are engaging in creative or innovative work that will be of interest to their colleagues and peers across the Energy Central community. Some podcasts may be a continuation of thought-provoking posts or discussions started in the community or with an industry leader that is interested in sharing their expertise and doing a deeper dive into hot topics or issues relevant to the industry.

The Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast is hosted by Jason Price, Community Ambassador of Energy Central. Jason is a Business Development Executive at West Monroe, working in the East Coast Energy and Utilities Group. Jason is joined in the podcast booth by the producer of the podcast, Matt Chester, who is also the Community Manager of Energy Central and energy analyst/independent consultant in energy policy, markets, and technology.  

If you want to be a guest on a future episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives™ Podcast, let us know! We’ll be pulling guests from our community members who submit engaging content that gets our community talking, and perhaps that next guest will be you! Likewise, if you see an article submitted by a fellow Energy Central community member that you’d like to see broken down in more detail in a conversation, feel free to send us a note to nominate them.  For more information, contact us at community@energycentral.com. Podcast interviews are free for Expert Members and professionals who work for a utility.  We have package offers available for solution providers and vendors. 

Happy listening, and stay tuned for episode #18 in a few weeks! Like what you hear, have a suggestion for future episodes, or a question for our guest? Leave a note in the comments below.

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Thanks to the sponsors of this episode of the Energy Central Power Perspectives Podcast: West Monroe, Esri, Guidehouse, CPower, and Hancock Software.