Grid-Edge Engagement: Why Energy Providers Must Market Behind-the-Meter Programs Like Consumer Tech

By IDLab Energy Marketing

The DER Dilemma

Behind-the-meter technologies — from smart thermostats to home batteries to EV chargers — are critical tools in the push for a more flexible, decarbonized grid. Utilities and CCAs are pouring investment into these programs, counting on them to shave peaks, enable virtual power plants (VPPs), and turn passive ratepayers into active participants in the energy transition.

But here’s the problem: the adoption curve isn’t keeping pace with the need.

Enrollment in demand response programs is tepid. VPP participation remains niche. Even home battery installations are lagging behind expectations despite improved economics. The technology is there. The grid need is urgent. So what’s missing?

The answer is marketing.

Customers won’t interact with grid-edge solutions the way they do with apps or devices—unless we start marketing them like apps or devices. That means fewer kilowatt-hour charts and more intuitive stories. Less engineering speak and more human value. We don’t need another spec sheet—we need a product launch playbook.

The Consumer Expectation Gap

Today’s customers live in a world where they can order groceries with a swipe, monitor their heart rate in real time, and control their homes from their phones. They expect that same level of simplicity, speed, and sophistication from their energy provider — whether they’re signing up for a demand response program or managing solar-plus-storage.

But most DER programs still feel like stepping into a different decade.

Too often, they’re:

• Complicated to enroll in: Buried in PDFs, portals, or paperwork
• Hard to find: Hidden behind jargon-heavy utility websites
• Poorly framed: Centered on kilowatts saved instead of comfort gained
  

The result? A disconnect between what customers expect and what providers deliver.

What’s missing is the “product experience” layer.
Design. Delight. Human value.

Until utilities start treating DERs like desirable, intuitive consumer products — not compliance mechanisms — enrollment will remain an uphill battle.

Lessons from the Tech World

If your energy marketing strategy isn’t borrowing from Apple, Nest, or Tesla, it’s falling behind.

These brands didn’t just create products—they created experiences. They understood that simplicity, status, and emotional resonance matter as much as specs. And that’s exactly the playbook energy providers need when promoting behind-the-meter (BTM) programs.

So what can your energy marketing agency take from the tech giants?

• Simplicity sells.
  One benefit. One action. One story. Customers don’t want to decode “automated flexible load optimization.” They want a message like: “Let your home charge smarter, save money, and help the grid—all automatically.”
  
• Make it aspirational.
  When you enroll in a Tesla VPP, you don’t feel like you’re joining a demand response program. You feel like you’re joining the future. That’s brand storytelling—and it’s what most energy marketing campaigns lack.
  
• Delight matters.
  Smart home devices gained traction because they’re intuitive, sleek, and rewarding to use. Utility portals? Not so much. If you want customer engagement, you need to design for satisfaction, not just enrollment.
  

BTM solutions shouldn’t be marketed like infrastructure—they should be positioned like smart tech. Because that’s exactly what they are.

A forward-thinking energy marketing agency can help make that leap—from compliance-driven copy to consumer-driven campaigns.

Make It Easy: Frictionless Enrollment and UX

Even the most compelling energy program will underperform if customers can’t figure out how to join.

This is one of the most persistent—and fixable—gaps in behind-the-meter (BTM) program design. From smart thermostat rebates to virtual power plant (VPP) enrollment, energy customers often face confusing sign-up flows, clunky utility portals, or a wall of legal disclaimers before they even reach a confirmation page.

If you’re serious about BTM program engagement, you need to market like a direct-to-consumer brand—and build an onboarding experience to match.

Here’s how a modern energy marketing approach makes it seamless:

• Reduce steps.
  Every additional click or form field is a drop-off risk. Use pre-filled account data where possible, and strip enrollment down to the essentials.
  
• Use modern channels.
  Allow opt-ins via SMS, QR codes on smart thermostat packaging, or direct links in app notifications. Meet customers where they already are.
  
• Design for conversion, not compliance.
  Replace dry CTAs like “Enroll in the demand response program” with language that emphasizes value:
  “Join thousands saving on summer bills—no setup required.”
  

A top-tier energy marketing agency will treat the enrollment experience like part of the campaign—not an afterthought. Because in the customer’s eyes, if the sign-up feels outdated, the program will too.

Make It Personal: Targeted Segmentation and Smarter Messaging

In the era of personalization, generic energy program messaging won’t cut it. Customers expect relevance—not one-size-fits-all campaigns that speak to “ratepayers” instead of real people.

For energy providers rolling out demand response, EV charging, or home battery incentives, segmentation isn’t optional—it’s foundational. And this is where a specialized energy marketing agency can make the difference between low enrollment and high engagement.

Here’s how to shift from broad outreach to precision targeting:

• Segment by behavior, not just demographics.
  Go beyond ZIP code and income. Use energy usage data, past participation in efficiency programs, or device ownership (like EVs or smart thermostats) to inform targeting.
  
• Craft messages for mindsets.
  Some customers want control. Others want simplicity. Some care about climate. Others just want to cut their summer bill. Tailor your language to align with motivation:
  
  • “Take control of your energy use—automatically.”
  • “Help your community stay cool this summer—and get rewarded.”
• Use dynamic content across channels.
  Whether it’s email, social media ads, or landing pages, use marketing automation to serve the right message to the right person at the right time.
  

Personalization isn’t just a best practice—it’s a competitive advantage. The more tailored your messaging, the more customers feel seen, understood, and empowered to act.

If you don’t have the internal tools or team to execute this kind of segmentation, an energy marketing agency can help build the framework—and the creative—that drives enrollment at scale.

Make It Aspirational: From Program to Purpose

Most energy marketing campaigns stop at the “what”—rebates, kilowatt reductions, or seasonal incentives. But the programs that truly resonate? They sell the “why.”

Today’s customers don’t want to join a load management program.
They want to:

• Power their homes independently
• Contribute to a cleaner grid
• Protect their families during peak events
• Be part of something forward-looking

In other words, they want to be part of a movement, not a maintenance plan.

This is where energy providers must reframe BTM participation—from something technical and transactional into something purposeful and aspirational.

Here’s how energy marketing can help shift the narrative:

• Use values-based messaging.
  Don’t just offer demand response—invite customers to protect their community during extreme weather. Don’t just sell a battery—offer energy resilience that lasts when the grid doesn’t.
  
• Brand the experience, not the tech.
  Package BTM programs with names that imply innovation, empowerment, or belonging:
  
  • PowerForward: Your Home, Smarter.
    
  • GridGuardians: Local Energy Heroes.
    
  • ChargeWise: Smarter EV Charging, Automatically.
    
• Tie it to identity.
  When customers join your program, they should feel like they’re stepping into a leadership role—early adopters, responsible citizens, climate-forward thinkers.
  

A skilled energy marketing agency will treat every BTM touchpoint as a brand moment—an opportunity to elevate what might otherwise be an overlooked program into a story customers want to be part of.

Activate All Channels: Meet Customers Where They Are

Even the smartest strategy will underdeliver if it only lives in a bill insert or a buried web page. To drive meaningful participation in behind-the-meter (BTM) programs, energy marketers must show up across the full customer journey—with consistency, clarity, and channel-specific creative.

That means moving beyond legacy outreach and into the multi-platform, multi-touch marketing ecosystem your customers already live in.

Here’s how a modern energy marketing agency amplifies reach and relevance:

• Digital-first campaigns.
  Use paid social, display, and programmatic video to build awareness for programs like smart thermostat optimization or EV managed charging. Highlight the lifestyle benefit, not the technical specs.
  
• Behavioral email and SMS flows.
  Don’t blast a single campaign—trigger automated messages based on customer activity, preferences, and device use. Example: When someone activates a smart thermostat, invite them to enroll in auto-savings mode the next day.
  
• Onsite and community-based activations.
  In-person still matters—especially in lower-income or multilingual communities. Tabling events, co-branded flyers at contractor showrooms, or QR code-based demos can fill awareness gaps that digital can’t.
  
• In-app messaging and account-based marketing.
  For utilities with mobile apps or web portals, surface relevant BTM programs dynamically based on usage history or home characteristics. Make the next step obvious.
  

When your campaign is channel-agnostic but customer-obsessed, participation goes from optional to irresistible. And when every platform reinforces the same clear value—more control, more comfort, more impact—adoption accelerates.

An energy marketing agency with omni-channel experience can architect these journeys, ensuring every touchpoint is working together to convert awareness into enrollment.

Track and Optimize Engagement: Measure What Matters

Effective energy marketing doesn’t end at launch—it evolves. Too often, utilities measure BTM program success by enrollment volume alone, without analyzing the why behind the results or how to improve them.

If your demand response or battery program isn’t scaling as expected, it’s not just a participation problem—it may be a performance visibility problem.

Here’s how leading energy marketing agencies approach optimization:

• Track beyond the top-line metrics.
  Yes, enrollment is important. But so are:
  
  • Click-to-signup conversion rates
  • Drop-off points in multi-step flows
  • Engagement with program emails or in-app nudges
  • Event-level participation (e.g., DR event opt-ins, override rates)
    
• Monitor customer satisfaction and sentiment.
  Surveys, Net Promoter Scores (NPS), and qualitative feedback can reveal friction in onboarding, unclear value propositions, or gaps in perceived trust.
  
• A/B test everything.
  The difference between a 1% and 4% conversion rate could be as simple as a headline swap or a cleaner mobile form. Energy marketing isn’t just storytelling—it’s experimentation.
  
• Iterate on the journey, not just the message.
  Look at the full funnel: from awareness and interest to signup, onboarding, and long-term engagement. Where are users getting stuck or losing motivation?
  

With the right analytics tools and creative discipline, you can continuously improve results—not just for one campaign, but across your entire portfolio of grid-edge programs.

Partnering with an energy marketing agency that specializes in performance-based optimization ensures your campaigns stay agile, accountable, and always improving.

Participation Is a Product

Behind-the-meter programs aren’t just infrastructure investments—they’re customer experiences. And participation isn’t just a checkbox on a utility dashboard—it’s the lifeblood of grid modernization.

If we want customers to engage with energy programs the way they do with their favorite apps or devices, we need to start treating these offerings like products—designed with intention, marketed with clarity, and delivered with care.

That means:

• Simplifying enrollment
• Personalizing outreach
• Telling aspirational stories
• Activating every relevant channel
• And optimizing relentlessly based on real-world performance

This is no longer optional. As the grid becomes more distributed, flexible, and customer-centric, your marketing must evolve with it.

From Technology to Transformation

Energy providers already have the tech. What they need now is the story.

DERs, demand response programs, and smart home integrations won’t drive impact unless customers see themselves in the narrative. It’s not enough to offer a program—you have to position it as a movement.

If your enrollment numbers are lagging, it’s not a failure of infrastructure.
It’s a failure of connection.

At IDLab, we help energy providers reframe participation as a customer-led revolution—not a billing line item.

Let’s transform your behind-the-meter programs into brand experiences that inspire, engage, and deliver measurable results.