Encouraging commercial and industrial energy customers (C&I) to shift energy use can be a utility provider's white whale. There's the potential for huge energy savings and substantial peak shaving, but hardly ever the resources on the utility's end to pursue those opportunities on a large scale.
Inspired by a recent conversation in our CORD working group, we've been collecting stories and advice from co-ops who have successfully navigated these waters and reduced C&I load in their service areas. As we share those stories, we'll talk about the throughlines we've seen and what you may be able to take back to your own community. There's no magic wand solution, but it might be more manageable than you've been expecting.
C&I isn't the only area where co-ops can incentivize meaningful energy shifts. Vermont Electric Cooperative saved over $400,000 in transmission costs with a multi-OEM battery program. Read more here -->
Speak to C&I customers with curiosity
One of the biggest throughlines we've seen in successful C&I load reduction stories is a curiosity-led approach. No one we heard from was handed an all-knowing guidebook of who specifically to contact and what the particular opportunity was. Often, a co-op's C&I energy shift success was the result of one person reaching out with curiosity.
We heard one co-op leader describe their first foray into C&I outreach like this: C&I wasn't biting on voluntary energy use reduction, even though there was a service rider in place that offered incentives for reduction without any penalties for missed targets.
This co-op leader started reaching out to C&I customers with curiosity about their non-participation. As part of these conversations, the co-op leader spoke with a manufacturing facility in their service area and got a glimpse into the facility's energy habits. It turned out that the facility ran a deep cleaning procedure once a day, using a large amount of energy in what just so happened to be a peak demand window.
So the co-op leader proposed a simple solution: this manufacturer could reschedule the cleaning procedure to the evening and save tens of thousands of dollars a year in time-of-use costs. An easy decision for the manufacturer, but not one they had been seeking out on their own.
The energy shift from just this one workload was enough to make a noticeable dent in the co-op's peaks. All from leading with curiosity about customers' needs and workflows.
Be willing to build tailored programs and incentives – there's no one-size-fits all
Another concept that we’ve heard a lot is the need for individualized solutions when working with C&I customers. It isn't enough to say "you'll save on your energy bill if you turn off your lights and appliances for a while." To be truly successful in curbing C&I energy use, co-ops have to come to the conversation with tailored advice and bespoke incentives.
A co-op leader from the East Coast had a great example to share about incentive structures. One of this co-op's C&I customers is a ski resort that manufactures snow on occasion. It seemed that this ski resort would habitually need to run the snow machines during peaks.
Regular time-of-use incentives weren't moving the needle for this ski resort, so the co-op set up a different structure. Using individualized critical peak rates, the co-op was able to introduce a steeper incentive for the ski resort to avoid making snow during peak events. This didn't mean the resort packed its snow machines away for good, but it was helpful in realigning expectations around energy use.
Other leaders shared stories about individualizing their approach and their advice. They spoke about running energy audits to identify what equipment C&I customers had in use, which types of businesses had been particularly great responders (one common industry was sanitation districts), and the features that made C&I customers more likely to respond to energy curtailment efforts (an efficient building envelope, for one).
We heard about agricultural customers who needed help restructuring their irrigation schedules to avoid hot times of day, and about ice skating rinks that were able to push the temperature of the ice up a few degrees without much noticeable change to the skating surface. Each story had the same goal, but a different pathway, and I saw co-op leaders come away with valuable notes on specific approaches to consider.
Put one foot in front of the other
Lastly, as co-op leaders shared their experiences, one attitude seemed to ring true across the group: a resolve to keep going.
Co-op leaders described a "one foot in front of the other" method, where they would identify one prospect and work through the entire case before starting on another. Even when they didn't say it in those words, the core values of patience and perseverence were clearly evident.
A C&I outreach program doesn't sprout from the ground overnight. Many of the co-op leaders we heard from spent years cultivating trust and connections with the C&I customers in their area. There's no customer anecdote to share here, just the value of dedication.
Learn from your peers
The insights into C&I energy curtailment were powerful, but what I found most gratifying in those CORD conversations was the overwhelming sense of camaraderie. Co-op leaders were sharing their stories, but they weren't presenting to a checked-out audience. Leaders from other co-ops were diving deep into the specifics, asking for help navigating their own issues, and cultivating meaningful connections with one another.
The peer connection model works particularly well because it can help co-ops think outside the lines. One co-op's experience turns into a region-scale focus group for others to learn from. To see the value of this peer model for yourself, I encourage you to read our 2026 CORD report. And if you find this sort of conversation valuable, consider joining CORD for more.
