Our
DELIVERABLES

Challenge

For decades, utilities relied on traditional direct load control programs—turning appliances on and off—to manage peaks. While effective at times, these programs limit customer choice and miss opportunities to integrate newer distributed energy resources (DERs) like EVs, solar, and home storage.

 

Solution
Leveraging the U.S. Department of Energy and Berkeley Lab’s Demand Flexibility Maturity Model, HS Insights applies a structured six-stage framework:

1. Planning & Design – aligning programs with utility and regulatory goals

2. Customer Engagement – building trust and participation

3. Program Operations – running efficient, scalable initiatives

4. Measurement & Verification – tracking results with rigor

5. DER Orchestration – integrating devices and systems in harmony

6. Data Infrastructure – enabling continuous insights and improvement

 

Impact
We help utilities move beyond “switch control” to customer-centric flexibility programs that deliver:

• Higher participation rates through tailored engagement

• Improved grid reliability by tapping diverse resources

• Stronger regulatory alignment through measurable outcomes

 

Service Offering
HS Insights provides:

• Flexibility program assessment & roadmap design

• Customer engagement playbooks to drive adoption

• DER integration strategies for smart devices and distributed resources

• End-to-end data and evaluation systems

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Challenge

As of 2024, only 14 states (and one city) require utilities to submit grid resilience plans. Where they do exist, submissions are inconsistent and often incomplete—slowing down regulatory review and leaving gaps in preparedness.

Solution

Drawing on Berkeley Lab’s Grid Resilience Plans report and template, HS Insights helps utilities and state agencies streamline resilience planning. Our approach ensures:

• Vulnerability Assessments – identifying system risks

• Program Descriptions – capturing ongoing and planned initiatives

• Cost & Rate Impact Forecasts – making financial implications transparent

 

By adopting a standardized, editable template, regulators, utilities, and stakeholders save time, reduce compliance risks, and enable clearer comparisons across plans.

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Impact
Utilities gain a roadmap to resilience that is:

• Comprehensive but easy to adapt for local context

• Fully aligned with emerging regulatory requirements

• Transparent in cost and ratepayer impact analysis

 

Service Offering
HS Insights provides:

• Turnkey resilience plan development tailored to your state

• Gap analysis & compliance strategies for existing plans

• Scenario planning and financial modeling for cost transparency

• Custom template adoption support to accelerate rollout

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Read the Full Report