The Current Trade Dispute, Our Electricity Customer View

Innovate UtilityCX (IUCX) is a non-profit organization and the world’s education and networking leader in Utility Customer Experience (CX).  As the leader, we are publishing our view of recent coverage of the trade dispute as it relates to electricity and utility customers:

1. The electric grid operates seamlessly across the United States-Canada border.  This seamless operation is critical to more citizens and businesses than can possibly be counted and shifts dynamically hour to hour. 

   
   

2. This seamless, intentional integration has been created, sustained and enhanced by critical partnerships between U.S. and Canadian utilities. And it’s so much more than the distribution system. It’s back-office systems, customer service benchmarks and technological enhancements built over decades of trial and error and supported by dozens of industry partners.

   
   

3. Canadian utilities play key roles in IUCX (formerly CS Week). They are event and program executives; members of the board, planning committee and event advisory panels; presenters, panelists and attendees. They are Excellence Award winners and finalists and star in podcasts. Because of this special kinship, IUCX hosts a Canadian Reception every year to recognize and applaud our Northern neighbors and contributors!

   
   

4. Decisions to curtail or stop grid operations across the border could cause significant issues to many US electric customers. Notably. it may not be limited to the border states mentioned in the media.

   
   

5. Implementing curtailment will create supply/demand issues and will cause significant price increases to US electricity customers -- price increases that will not be affordable. This may cause financial issues for utilities when they cannot pass along price increases to their customers.

   
   

6. Implementing curtailment may create rolling blackouts to meet supply/demand imbalances.

   
   

7. New incremental electricity tariffs will also have the same effect as curtailment.  This destabilizes/presents/exacerbates financial issues for utilities when they cannot pass along price increases to their customers. They will cause significant price increases for US electricity customers -- price increases that will not be affordable.  This may also cause financial issues for utilities when they cannot pass on price increases to their customers and must then manage substantial bill arrears.

   
   

8. Even brief curtailment or tariffs will have probable large financial impacts.

   
   

9. IUCX has been central to utility collaboration, regardless of national location, for close to 50 years.  This collaboration takes the form of sharing best practices and networking regardless of national borders throughout our 50-year presence.  Nationality is not a factor in our format of collaboration. In fact, IUCX boasts attendance from nearly every continent.

   
   

10. Staying informed, facing challenges cooperatively and transparently, borrowing ideas that work from others who have already been there done that, and working as a community are all hallmarks of IUCX. Its 2025 conference week is set for May 5 – 8 in Phoenix, AZ. Scores of presenters and panelists from utilities and commercial industry partners will be talking, listening, exploring and connecting. This dynamic has made and continues to forge IUCX events as go-to learning and relationship- building opportunities. 

    
    

11. Canadian utilities enjoy active and influential roles in shaping the future of yesterday’s, today’s and tomorrow’s collective energy landscape. U.S. utilities imitate and strive to replicate progressive Canadian utility programs and services. Canadian utilities do the same with US counterparts. Global industry partners play a huge role too. This mutual support model, some would call it a rising tide, strengthens utilities, makes them advance to keep up with others’ progress and “raises all boats”.  U.S. and Canadian utilities, unlike other business sectors, differentiate themselves with sharing, reciprocal relationships.

In summary, electricity tariffs are different than product tariffs. Customers can shift or reduce their usage of products that are subject to existing or new tariffs. However, they cannot shift their electricity usage, and consumption reduction cannot match the contemplated tariffs.