2 min read December 2022 — Teresa Broyles-Aplin is the president and CEO of Nashville Electric Service (NES), and her focus is on enhancing the customer experience while preparing for continued regional growth. She sat down with Invest: to discuss this and more. “Nashville continues to grow, and it’s attracting a younger demographic, which is one of the reasons we want to ensure we expand our technological capabilities and renewable, sustainable power options,” she said.
What were your highlights of 2022, and what priorities are ahead for 2023?
One of my key goals as CEO is to make the utility more customer-centric in the way we do business. We provide a critical service that is vital to the health and safety of our customers. However, our customers don’t have a choice in vendor for their power needs. That creates an even bigger responsibility to be customer-centric. I want us to be innovators in the area and meet customers where they are, and we have not innovated to do that in the past. Going forward, that will include the use of technology. We are working through a major IT project that will result in the replacement of all of our major systems. We are tackling the pieces that affect the customer experience first. We started with Smart Meters and just went live with meter data management, which gives us the ability to analyze the 15-minute interval data that is being collected from those meters. Next, we’ll tackle the customer information systems that include a customer portal and other technology to streamline customer interactions, will provide customers useful data about their usage, and will help create more options for rates. It will also provide more means of communication with customers with online chat and an app becoming available. We have a call center, which has almost exclusively been our method of communication with customers. We now have text options, but I want to have other ways of allowing our customers to connect with us for us to meet their needs. Since I am new in my role, I have spent a lot of time within the utility connecting with employees and board members to establish vision and strategy, as well as meeting with key stakeholders to discuss their concerns and even with developers to address supply chain concerns. We also have a new focus on green and renewable energy.
How does NES Helps tie into your strategy?
The NES Helps website is part of our ESG strategy. We secured KPMG some time ago for them to assist us with developing our ESG strategy. The customer-centric responsibility ties into that, but it also satisfies our “social” role in ESG. NES Helps is a resource for information on our multiple programs, including the Home Uplift Plan, utility bill assistance program and others. We give options that are green and sustainable, reduce energy use and broaden quality of life by weatherizing homes.
How have you navigated a changing market this year?
It has certainly been a bit of a challenge. We are seeing supply chain challenges, mostly with transformers. We ordered $45.5 million in transformers in January 2022. We have only received 94 of those, and it was an order for 3,100. Costs of our materials are going up, and customers are seeing growth in their own costs, as well, which is where our programming comes in with Home Uplift and underutilized utility bill support. We are working to get the word out on the help we can provide our customers. We want people to be aware of these programs and to support them so they remain successful. We are passionate about it, and it really makes a difference for our customers. It’s also a concern to developers who need transformers for their projects. In a growing city, everyone is having issues. The transformer shortage is national and we are being proactive to meet with developers and adjust plans and overheads.
What are some of the ways you are approaching green energy?
We are looking at some options that I believe will be beneficial to our ratepayers. I want to pursue sustainability in a way that makes sense for all of our customers, because we have three segments: those who are very green-minded, those in the middle you can encourage to be more sustainable and those who don’t care where their power comes from as long as they can afford it. I want us to move in a greener direction in a way that supports all of our customers. I am in the process of negotiating a project right now that would save our ratepayers money each year as well as providing our customers with renewable power. That caters to all of our customers. We’re also looking at partnerships with the city on rooftop solar and modifications to the street lighting system.
How do you expect Nashville to continue to evolve?
Nashville continues to grow, and it’s attracting a younger demographic, which is one of the reasons we want to ensure we expand our technological capabilities and renewable, sustainable power options. Those are both in line with demand. We have enhanced our meter data management infrastructure and customer satisfaction. As more business and people move in, the landscape will continue to change.
I see that the pending East River project could have a big impact on how Nashville evolves as a city. Developers have historically bought property and developed after getting permits to do so, but no one is taking a holistic view of how the growth really needs to unfold. The City wants to be involved in that piece now, which I think is excellent.
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