Report reveals inequity in electricity pricing, calls for rate reform to help fight climate change

In a report released today, UC Berkeley researchers analyze the impact of a hidden electricity “tax” on Californians. They recommend two significant policy reforms to ease the burden on low-income households and spur consumer interest in the adoption of electric vehicles, heat pumps, and other electric technology.

New Public-Private Partnership to Upgrade Tool That Estimates Costs of Power Interruptions

Berkeley Lab has initiated a national public-private partnership to update and upgrade the Interruption Cost Estimate (ICE) Calculator – a publicly available, online tool – which estimates the economic consequences of power interruptions.

For hurricane victims, prolonged disruption of utilities, limited preparation lead to longer recovery times

Studying major hurricanes Notre Dame researcher, Sisi Meng, found that the fate of hurricane victims depends on a number of factors including how well-prepared they are, whether they have weathered a hurricane before and how quickly their utility services are restored.

Science Snapshots: COVID-19, power outages, Alzheimer’s disease, and optical antennas

March Science Snapshots from Berkeley Lab

Good customer service can lead to higher profits, even for utilities without competition

New research finds that satisfied customers mean increased profits even for public utilities that don’t face competition. Professors found that customer satisfaction does not lead to increased profits via higher rates or greater demand suggests current regulatory controls are effective. Their findings suggest regulators should view investments in customer satisfaction as recoverable costs.