Community choice aggregation (CCA) is an emerging energy procurement model wherein local governmental entities purchase energy from suppliers on behalf of their residents. Residents in a CCA-served area are automatically enrolled when a new CCA launches, and able to opt out at any time. Understanding customer preferences can help CCA providers design programs that meet customer desires and create messaging that effectively conveys how they will do so.

See Change Institute (SCI) analyzed data from five separate surveys of California residents to examine the preferences of energy consumers and the distinction between what they say they want (stated preferences) and what their underlying decisions reveal (revealed preferences).

In this webinar we discuss the differences between what people say they want from their energy utility (low prices and choices) and what actually drives support for CCA (social norms and political affiliation). Based on our findings, we propose three key recommendations to CCA providers: (1) be proactive in releasing positive messaging in the energy space, conveying benefits of CCA that align with residents’ preferences; (2) leverage social norms and political identity to sway the behavior of potential consumers; and (3) implement pre-testing for all messaging campaigns, and use insights to tailor messages to specific communities.