Rising energy costs, increasing pressure on the grid, and the unpredictable pace of electrification are challenging how we think about power in our everyday lives. Utilities and customers alike are facing more complexity, uncertainty, and opportunity than ever before.

Enter Uplight, a technology company focused on helping utilities and their customers manage, optimize, and monetize distributed energy resources. On this episode, we sit down with Hannah Bascom, SVP of Growth at Uplight, to get behind the headlines:

👉 What’s driving demand on the grid?
👉 How can smarter technology and programs make energy use easier (and cheaper) for people and businesses?
👉 And what are utilities doing to adapt?

If you’re curious about how new energy tech can help you take control of your energy bill, what’s changing behind the scenes at your local utility, or how we can all play a part in the future of energy, this episode is for you.

Interview with Hannah Bascom

Dunja Jovanovic: Let’s begin with the basics. Can you introduce Uplight, what the company does, and why its work is relevant right now?
Hannah Bascom: Uplight is a technology company that collaborates with utilities, grid operators, and ultimately end consumers, enabling them to deploy, manage, monetize, and conserve energy resources. This is especially important now because, in a world increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence and significant load growth, we need to fundamentally rethink how we use the grid if we’re to minimize the costs that everyone ultimately pays for the investment that must go into it. Our focus is on distributed energy resources—DERs—such as solar, batteries, smart thermostats, and electric vehicles. It’s crucial to figure out how to manage these resources and get both individuals and businesses involved, making it as simple as possible for them to understand their energy landscape.

DJ: You’ve built your career across consumer tech, electrification, and now lead growth at Uplight. What threads connect these roles for you?
HB: I began my journey in the energy sector at Pacific Gas and Electric Company in San Francisco, one of the largest and most progressive utilities in the U.S. That experience gave me a deep understanding of how utilities make decisions and the regulatory environment that shapes those decisions—a core expertise that’s benefited me throughout my career. It led me to Nest in 2014, where I was the first employee with utility experience. Nest was already known as a tool for energy efficiency and load flexibility, and utilities had funds to support such programs. My role was to help build the strategy, team, and partnerships that brought these programs to life. When Nest became part of Google, the work continued: scaling these programs, leveraging Google’s ecosystem to engage customers and expand reach. Later, at Span, an electrification tech company, I helped set up the foundations for scale and growth, drawing on lessons from my time at Nest. I’ve now been at Uplight for over two years, leading the commercial organization’s growth. It’s a unique vantage point, sitting at the intersection of energy and utilities, bringing together stakeholders in pursuit of scale. In the past two years, the narrative around load growth and the critical role of flexibility in combating climate change, and simply keeping the grid running, has become even more urgent. I feel like there’s never been a more important time to be doing this work.

DJ: We’ve mentioned the grid a few times already, and there’s a lot of talk about growing energy demand and the grid being under strain. What’s happening, and what isn’t being discussed enough?
HB: There’s a growing conversation about the impact of AI on load growth, and even mainstream publications are now asking how we can keep the grid operational given projections that, in some scenarios, it could need to double in capacity in the next couple of decades.

That’s encouraging, because awareness is key, but we also need to focus on solutions. A few facts: today, the grid’s average utilization is about 40%, meaning there’s a significant amount of excess capacity most of the time. Before doubling the grid’s size, we should figure out how to use the available 60% that sits idle much of the year. A recent Duke University report found we could add half the load we need today if we just flexed the grid 0.5% of the hours each year. The issue is a tiny sliver of the year, just a handful of hours, where we face constraints. So, before adding more infrastructure, let’s use what we have smartly and invest incrementally to maintain the reliability we expect, especially as extreme weather events become more frequent.

DJ: How can smarter energy use on the customer side help solve some of these challenges?
HB: Since my days at Nest, I’ve believed accessibility is key. Most people don’t spend time thinking about their electricity usage, but with rising costs, that’s starting to change. Data shows that one in three customers is now behind on their energy bills. But connecting the dots between bills and energy usage is complicated, even for those of us in the industry.

For Uplight, the priority is making options clear and easy to understand, guiding people to install the right equipment and connect to flexibility programs that can help manage bills. That’s a win for the customer and for the grid, whether we’re talking about homes or businesses.

DJ: You work with concepts like demand response, smart thermostats, and battery programs. For those outside the industry, how would you explain what those things do and why they matter?
HB: Automation is crucial. Many new devices—smart thermostats, EVs, and others—can automatically receive signals and shift energy usage when prices are highest.

That matters because those peak times are when energy is most expensive and the grid is under the most strain. Instead of firing up a costly gas peaker plant for a few hours a year, you can pay many people automatically and seamlessly through their devices to adjust their usage. It’s largely invisible to them, but it adds up to meaningful carbon savings and helps keep bills affordable for everyone.

DJ: Are utilities starting to use these tools differently than they did a few years ago?
HB: Absolutely. Meeting new load growth is a daunting task: here in the U.S., we need about 200 gigawatts of incremental capacity by 2030, but the current interconnection queues are five years long. Even if we could build all the projects in the pipeline, supply chain disruptions and rising costs make it incredibly challenging.

People’s bills are already rising by 10, 20, even 50 percent in recent years. Building more capacity fast enough and affordably enough is a problem, so we have to rethink our approach. That’s where all these distributed devices come into play. For years, there was skepticism about whether resources in people’s homes and businesses could be relied on. But, just like an investment portfolio outperforms a single asset over time, a collection of distributed assets is proving reliable and effective. By bundling them together, we create a virtual power plant with predictable, scalable results.

DJ: And what about working with utilities? They’re big, complex organizations. What are some challenges there?
HB: Utilities are, by nature, large and often operate as monopolies. The upside is that when a utility finds success, it can be turned into a case study and shared broadly; other utilities and regulators can replicate those successes in their jurisdictions. But, since every utility is regulated differently, you need to understand each one’s unique business model, how they’re regulated, and what their goals are in terms of flexibility and demand management. It requires tailoring approaches and navigating a fragmented industry, but is also highly collaborative in sharing what works.

DJ: Can you share a success story—an example of a utility partnership where the results were particularly exciting?
HB: We’re working with Puget Sound Energy in Washington, where the state legislature recently mandated that 10% of the utility’s peak load be served by load flexibility. We secured a contract to deliver a true virtual power plant (VPP), going beyond traditional demand response programs.

Our VPP includes many types of devices and both residential and business customers. It has grown rapidly, now approaching 80 megawatts, doubling in size year over year. This model is driving greater customer engagement, more cost-effective resource use, and is beginning to influence policies in other states. Virginia, for example, just passed its own VPP mandate.

Another client, Alliant Energy in Iowa and Wisconsin, is rethinking how their programs are structured so that customer-side resources align more closely with the way supply-side operators plan and procure power. We call this the “Demand Stack”—it’s about coordinating efficiency, flexible loads, and demand response programs to maximize benefits for both customers and the grid.

DJ: From your experience, what makes these projects successful, or what holds them back?
HB: Recognizing the ecosystem is critical. These programs only work when you have enough customers participating, but it’s also about working with device manufacturers—right now, we have over 65 different OEM partners. Regulators need to be informed and supportive, too, because there’s still a lot of debate and misinformation around what’s needed to ensure grid reliability. Providing clear data and collaborating closely with clients is essential for building trust and momentum.

DJ: Let’s talk about your role. As head of growth, what does that mean in practice, and how does your team help move the business forward?
HB: I get to do all the fun stuff! My team covers sales, marketing, partnerships, business development, and market development. That means I sit right at the intersection of our partner and client ecosystem, while also making sure our internal products and services stay ahead of the curve, and help shape where the market is headed. No two days are the same: I might be meeting with clients, attending a conference, or brainstorming new ways to tell the story of the Demand Stack. I work with an amazing, talented, and mission-driven team, which makes solving these challenges both fun and rewarding.

DJ: It sounds like a lot of your work is about turning ideas into action. How do you get people moving in the same direction, especially with so many different clients?
HB: That’s a great question. One of my foundational principles is a bias for action—just getting things moving, especially since Uplight is still very much a scale-up. We don’t always have everything perfectly mapped out, but if we start, we can iterate and improve. The team is passionate and mission-driven, which helps keep momentum. For example, we’re about to host our annual customer conference. The first year was a scramble, but each year, it’s gotten smoother and larger as we learn and refine our process. It’s a testament to the team’s commitment and ability to grow as we go.

DJ: When you’re considering new markets or partners, what do you look for?
HB: It’s always a mix. Market size is important, so we do our research, but sometimes it’s also about following great anchor clients who are deeply invested in our approach. Uplight was formed from the merger of eight startups, and our last acquisition, AutoGrid, brought in unique international clients and capabilities. When expanding, we assess the potential and challenges of each market: localization, regulatory participation, and infrastructure. Sometimes a single client can take us to a new region and help prove concepts that then scale elsewhere.

DJ: From your vantage point, what’s changing most in the utility world now and in the years ahead? What should we be paying attention to?
HB: Load growth is the big driver. Decarbonization still matters, but now utilities are grappling with increasing costs from both load growth and external factors like wildfires, which require more grid investment and get passed along to customers. The old model of one-way power flows and single, central plants just doesn’t work anymore. Utilities have to rethink their operations for a world that’s more complex, more dynamic, and shaped by more extreme climate events. Regulators are facing new pressures, too. It’s a fascinating—and challenging—moment for the industry.

DJ: Let’s end on a hopeful note. What gives you energy or optimism about where all this is headed?
HB: I believe in the inevitability of distributed energy resources and renewables. The costs are just too compelling compared to business-as-usual approaches. It’s never easy; the status quo is always the biggest competitor, but there isn’t any other way forward except to harness the power of both business and residential customers as part of the grid. That’s what excites me most.