BlastPoint Deep Dive Podcast

LIHEAP LIVE WEBINAR
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Tom: [00:00:00] Welcome to this Deep Dive, a collaboration where human curiosity meets AI synthesis to explore the power of data in AI driven solutions, unpacking complex topics from the source material you bring us. I'm Tom, an AI host.

Anna: And I'm Anna, also an AI host. Hello everyone. Today we're actually giving you a bit of an exclusive preview.

Think of it as a sneak peek into a really important conversation we had on a recent live webinar.

Tom: That's right. We're talking about the, uh, the evolving landscape for LI Heat. That's the low income Home Energy assistance program.

Anna: Yeah. And the, you know, the broader challenges utilities are facing, trying to connect with their low and moderate income customers.

We really wanna equip you with some, uh, actionable solutions today.

Tom: Absolutely. Our mission really for you listening. Is to pull out the most important, uh, nuggets of knowledge from that webinar. Consider this your shortcut to understanding what's honestly, a pretty complex issue. Yeah, we've got some surprising facts and hopefully some practical insights you can use.[00:01:00]

Welcome.

Okay, let's unpack this then. The LIHEAP funding landscape.

Yeah,

Tom: it's definitely changing, right? There's a lot of uncertainty, especially around the 2026 budget, maybe even beyond. So what does this shifting landscape actually look like? You know, on the ground for utilities, I.

Anna: Well, what really jumps out is how deeply it impacts just, uh, daily operations.

We heard from Elizabeth at JEA in northeast Florida. They serve about a million customers, and she highlighted how Florida's state level LIHEAP distribution works. Pretty unique. The state got a, uh, a big chunk of federal money,

okay.

Anna: And they contracted with a vendor to handle LIHEAP for what they call categorically eligible [00:02:00] customers.

Tom: Categorically eligible, meaning

Anna: basically folks who automatically qualify 'cause they're already getting other federal help, like sap or maybe they previously got lwop. The water assistance program. Gotcha. And today, actually, June 30th is a huge date for them. They're waiting to hear if that big funding stream will continue.

JEA has already done studies, um, modeling how customers might behave if LIHEAP funding goes the way Li Wop did. Which, you know, saw some pretty big changes.

Tom: Right. And we heard a similar story from Erica and Nicole at Tepp Tucson Electric Power out in Arizona. They described it as an ever-changing landscape too.

They really stressed how utilities increasingly need to work like hand in glove with their community agency partners. Mm-hmm. To offer those comprehensive kind of wraparound services.

Anna: Exactly. It's clear the old ways of assisting customers are, well, they're being disrupted. You need more integrated solutions now.

Tom: Which raises a big question.

Anna: Yeah. How do utility, I mean these are organizations not always known for pivoting super fast on, you know, big changes like this. How do they move quickly enough?

Yeah.

Anna: 2026 is coming [00:03:00] up fast and there's this, uh. Real shroud of uncertainty around it. So the urgency to act, to prepare, it's definitely there.

Mm-hmm.

Anna: The key insight really, is that utilities can't just react anymore. They've gotta be proactive, anticipate these shifts.

Tom: Okay. Speaking of being proactive.

Anna: Mm. Let's

Tom: talk barriers. The Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative, SECC, they did some really eye-opening research on why people don't adopt income eligible programs.

And you might think, oh, it's just lack of funding. But actually one of the biggest hurdles, it's simply awareness. People just don't know the programs exist

Anna: exactly, and the solution isn't just, you know, blasting out information everywhere and hoping something sticks. The real insight is using data. Using data to figure out who needs to know about these programs ideally before they actually need the help.

Right.

Anna: And then, you know, engaging them at the right time through the channels they actually use with messages that, well, that resonate.

Tom: Okay. Another big barrier, they found paperwork, complexity. We heard about this challenge. It seems [00:04:00] pervasive.

Anna: Yeah.

Tom: You get high numbers starting applications.

Anna: Yeah. Lots of starts,

Tom: but then completion rates are incredibly low, like.

Single digits. Sometimes people just get bogged down, right?

Anna: Yeah, yeah. Abandon

Tom: the application. Yeah.

Anna: And that ties into, you know, a bigger picture issue. There's this often overlooked barrier of, uh, stigma and pride. A lot of moderate income folks, maybe older people especially, they're new to needing help.

They might hesitate or, you know, feel like, oh, someone else needs it more.

Tom: Mm-hmm. Which is tragic. 'cause they qualify.

Anna: Exactly. It stops them from getting support. They're entitled to.

Tom: Then as we kind of mentioned already, there's this critical new barrier, which is maybe the hardest one.

Anna: Yeah.

Tom: Just the lack of funding itself.

Even if you somehow got a hundred percent application completion, if the money runs out, the money runs out.

Anna: Right. It's a numbers game at that point.

Tom: So with all these challenges, lack of awareness, complex paperwork, stigma, and potential funding gaps.

Anna: Yeah.

Tom: What does this all mean for utilities trying to navigate this mess?[00:05:00]

Anna: It means you have to be well, incredibly strategic. Nicole from Tech really hammered this home how crucial data is. Now they're using data to be really targeted about where they focus their efforts, understanding the different demographics in their territory, you know, trying to get the biggest bang for their buck.

Tom: Makes sense.

Anna: And they're looking beyond just billing info. They're pulling in data about like housing stock, energy use, intensity, using that to better target demand side management DSM program. Okay. The powerful insight here is data isn't just about looking backward. It's your early warning system. It helps predict where new energy burdens might pop up before they become overwhelming.

Tom: That's such a vital point. And Erica from TE mentioned this too, the energy burden. You know, the percentage of income people spend on energy. Mm-hmm. It's going up. And that could bring whole new groups of customers into needing assistance.

Anna: Yeah. People who never needed help before. Data gives you that leading edge, let's you spot and address those shifts proactively.

Tom: JEA had a really compelling example of this, didn't they? Showing how data [00:06:00] actually leads to real community impact. They used BlastPoint data, I think, to help an agency administer EE funds. That's the Emergency Heating and Energy assistance program for seniors in Florida.

Anna: That's right. The agency had this critical deadline, June 30th, again to spend their federal money or lose it.

So JEA used what's called propensity modeling. It's basically using data to predict who's most likely to need help or respond to outreach.

Tom: Predictive analytics, basically.

Anna: Yeah. They use it to segment their senior population found 200 eligible customers who looked similar to past recipients. This let the agency reach out directly, make calls, hold, drop-in application sessions, and make sure those critical funds got spent, didn't go back to the government.

It's data enabling like. Immediate tangible help.

Tom: That's a fantastic example. And it shows how this isn't just about customer care teams, right? Mm-hmm. The ripple effects of LIHEAP funding uncertainty hit the whole utility.

Anna: Absolutely. Take tap. In Arizona, they have that summer moratorium on disconnections, which is [00:07:00] crucial for safety and extreme heat,

Tom: right?

Necessary.

Anna: But it inevitably leads to higher arrearages, bigger unpaid balances,

Tom: which must put a massive strain on call centers,

Anna: huge strains. Staff get demoralized. Call volumes shoot up. It stops them helping other customers and it hits accounts receivable hard.

Tom: So TIP is using that propensity modeling again to find people who can maybe pay something.

Anna: Exactly. They're identifying customers who are likely and able to make at least some payment during the summer because they found this, um. This sort of financial cliff.

A cliff,

Anna: yeah. Once an overdue balance gets to around a thousand dollars, it becomes almost impossible for the customer to catch up and the utility often has to write it off.

Wow. Okay.

Anna: So TE uses data proactively to try and keep customers from ever hitting that a thousand dollars mark.

Tom: That financial cliff is a really key insight. And Elizabeth from JEA mentioned, I think that. 60%, a huge number, 60% of their current assistance money comes from L eep.

Anna: 60%. Yeah. Imagine the pressure that [00:08:00] puts on them to find new funding sources, new ideas, especially since as a municipality, JEA can't just discount bills like some other utilities might.

The challenge is immense.

Tom: So given all that pressure, it also seems really important to kind of turn customers into advocates. Deb is focusing on treating every customer with care. Right. Even if there's no funding available right then.

Anna: Yes, exactly. Nicole developed this internal training, a how to Speak to your Neighbor series.

And they have broader customer experience training across the whole company. It's about building trust, fostering that customer-centric mindset in every interaction.

Tom: That makes sense. Build trust even when you can't offer immediate cash

Anna: and connecting that to the bigger picture. Erica at TE is doing amazing advocacy work in dc.

They've learned how powerful it is when utilities team up presenting a single concise message as a unified team to lawmakers. Representing all residents of the state, not just their own customers. That kind of collaboration is really strategic.

Tom: Yeah. That unity [00:09:00] must carry a lot of weight. Now, Elizabeth from JA made a great point about LIHEAP being essentially a bandaid.

Anna: Mm-hmm.

Tom: Can you talk more about that need for a more holistic approach, like a three legged stool?

Anna: Absolutely. LIHEAP is vital, don't get me wrong. It's immediate crisis relief. But it's treating a symptom, right? This three-legged stool idea acknowledges you need more for long-term solutions. Yes, financial help is one leg, but you also need to address the home itself.

Is it energy efficient? That's the second leg.

Tom: Okay. The structure, right?

Anna: And the third leg is customer behavior. Empowering people to manage their usage. Tepp actually has a LIHEAP business continuity plan, like a playbook for what to do if. The funding just vanished.

Wow.

Anna: And they hope to build a foundation for more sustainable funding.

But yeah, Elizabeth's point was spot on. LIHEAP is often a bandaid on a wound that requires surgery. We need deeper fixes.

Tom: And JEA has a program doing just that. Right? There are three program. Restore repair, resilience.

Anna: Yes. That's a fantastic [00:10:00] example. It's federally granted targeting their historic east side, which is one of their highest energy burden areas.

Yeah. They partner with existing home repair groups. They do building performance indicator audits, blower door tests to find leaks.

Tom: So real diagnostics.

Anna: Exactly. Then the partners fix the home structure and JEA comes in with energy retrofits new HVAC water heaters. The goal is like 15, 20% annual energy savings.

Plus just a better quality of life. It's truly holistic.

Tom: That sounds incredibly impactful. Now, another group we need to understand in all this is the Alice population.

Anna: Ah, yes. Alice. Asset limited, income constrained, employed.

Tom: Right. These are folks who are working often full time, but they're just, you know, one car repair, one medical bill away from a financial crisis.

Anna: Crucially, they often don't qualify for traditional LIHEAP because the income limits just haven't kept up with inflation or the real cost of living.

Tom: So how are utilities connecting with or understanding this group?

Anna: Well, JEA does something pretty interesting. They run a poverty [00:11:00] simulation for their leadership participants basically meet Alice.

They live through a simulation of her daily struggles for I think. Three weeks.

Tom: Wow. That must be powerful.

Anna: It provides this really profound, visceral understanding of what customers face leads to much more empathetic decisions from the top down.

Tom: And TEEP does something similar internally,

Anna: right.

Tom: Personas.

Anna: Yeah. They create detailed personas for Alice and other low-income customer segments. They post them in conference rooms just to keep that customer experience front of mind, build empathy, and they have Project Hope where employees can actually contribute funds right from their paychecks to help customers.

Often those Alice type customers who fall through the cracks of other programs, it shows real internal commitment.

Tom: That's amazing. Okay, so we've seen the challenges, the ripple effects, the need for deeper solutions. What can utilities do right now besides, you know, worry?

Anna: Well, besides those internal fund programs like Project Hope, which are great, a big strategic focus is on predictable [00:12:00] bills and energy efficiency.

If you connect this to the bigger picture, research shows that helping people lower their bills long-term through rate discounts or efficiency upgrades is way more effective than just one-off grants like liheap.

Tom: More sustainable.

Anna: Exactly. It leads to bigger drops in arrearages, higher customer satisfaction.

It builds resilience, not just temporary relief.

Tom: And that cross-agency coordination seems absolutely key too. Perhaps. Affordability. Tiger Team.

Anna: Yeah. That brings together internal folks and external partners. It really helps build community trust because customers often already trust those agency partners.

That team led to things like the Puma County Prosperity Project and they're dreaming big, envisioning a future. One-stop shop website.

Tom: A one-stop shop. Yeah,

Anna: a site with not just utility help, but also calendars from external agencies for like food drives, financial education classes, meeting customers where they are with all kinds of support.

Tom: That sounds incredibly useful. And JEA has been building those agency relationships for years, right? [00:13:00]

Anna: For ages. They're light at forward awards. It's a breakfast for agency partners, been running over 10 years, just fosters trust networking. They also have a monthly senior day since 2015. Agencies come right into J a's lobby with resources for folks.

60 plus star.

Tom: Bringing the resources to the people.

Anna: Exactly. And they do broader public resource fairs. To food, budgeting, help jobs, property issues. It's about weaving that strong community support network

Tom: and underpinning all of this, making these solutions work is data. You mentioned JEA even co-developed an energy burden tool with BlastPoint.

Anna: Yeah. And it's now part of the platform. The power there is how it visualizes the need. It helps JEA literally see the highest need zip codes.

Okay. So

Anna: they can target outreach, target presentations precisely. It confirms their gut feelings, but gives them hard data to back it up. Helps them decide where to go first, who to partner with makes their efforts way more impactful.

Tom: Right. It lets utilities. Get past thinking of [00:14:00] LMI customers as just one big group.

Anna: Exactly. Data lets you dissect that, understand the different segments, renters, elderly, different demographics, and tailor how you engage. You know, is this person more likely to open an email or answer a call?

Tom: Personalization?

Anna: Yeah. That leads to much more effective outreach, better results for everyone. So as we kind of wrap up this deep dive, if you wanna go even deeper into all these solutions and insights, we definitely have resources for you.

Tom: Yeah. Check out the episode description. There's a link there to the BlastPoint resource page.

You'll find our LIHEAP risk calculator. This tool actually helps you quantify the potential hit from funding loss, things like delinquencies, cost to serve, truck rolls, call center costs. It's super valuable for making the case internally. Showing the real impact.

Anna: Definitely. And you'll also find white papers, things like using geospatial data or preventing first time delinquencies, plus case studies showing real results.

Utilities boosting payment assistance applications by 25%, getting higher LMI engagement. Using these kinds [00:15:00] of data strategies

Tom: and for the full in-depth discussion with the experts from JEA and TAP themselves, we really encourage you to watch the on-demand webinar facing LIHEAP Uncertainty with Action.

That link is also right there in the episode description, so it leaves you thinking, as these traditional safety nets change, what more can we all do creatively as a community to make sure basic needs like energy are met for everyone?

Anna: That's a big question. And remember to subscribe to this podcast for more deep dives.