Current: An Energy Podcast

In this candid and thoughtful conversation, Anne Dougherty sits down with two of ILLUME's newest researchers, Maggie Roma and Xijun Zhang, to explore what brought them into the world of energy consulting—and what's kept them here. From crunching data on demand response programs to discovering surprising joys in customer interviews, Maggie and Xijun share the passion and curiosity that drive their work. They also get personal, revealing their proudest professional moments, the advice that's shaped them, and what they'd be doing if energy wasn't in the picture (hint: horses and chinchillas are involved). Whether you're in the field or just energy-curious, this episode is a reminder that behind every kilowatt is a very human story.

In this episode, we explore how emerging energy technologies are being tested and brought to communities in the Midwest - especially in cold climates and underserved areas. From heat pumps to smart controls, we break down what's working, what's next, and how innovation is shaping a more efficient, equitable energy future.

In this episode of Current, An Energy Podcast, we talk with inspiring women leaders and business owners in Energy. You'll hear them talk about what inspired them to start their businesses, the barriers they face, and how they support each other.

ILLUME Advising, LLC (ILLUME) and Encolor have entered into a strategic partnership. Listen to team members from ILLUME and Encolor discuss revolutionizing equity consulting in the energy efficiency industry.

In this podcast ILLUME Executive Vice President, Jes Rivas, interviews Senior Consultant and fellow Engineer, Nabila Huq. You'll learn about Nabila's background in Chemical Engineering, Renewable Fuel Design, Biomedical Materials, and Solar Research. If you're interested in nerding out on anything we just listed above, this is the podcast for you. Listen in now!

Join us on a journey down memory lane as we celebrate ILLUME's first decade! In our latest podcast, our amazing team shares heartfelt reflections, hilarious memories, and unforgettable moments that have shaped our journey. Tune in for stories that capture the essence of who we are and what ILLUME stands for.

From Data to Visualization: A Conversation with ILLUME's Design Team by ILLUME Advising

In this podcast, Anne Dougherty is joined by Cynthia Garcia, Yvette Jackson, and Vera Minot to talk about how Pride shows up in their leadership. You'll hear personal stories of bravery, growth, and how being a member of the LGBTQIA+ community impacts change in their organizations. #PrideMonth2023

In this episode of Current, an Energy Podcast, Anne Dougherty talks to Paul Francis, CEO and Co-Founder of KIGT, an EVSE manufacturing company. Paul shares KIGT's origin story and the barriers and successes he's faced along the way.

In this episode of Current, an Energy Podcast, Anne Dougherty sits down with Senior Managing Consultant, Leigh Michael, to talk about her background in the energy industry, what she is passionate about, and what fills her happiness bucket.

In Episode 1 of this two-part podcast series, ILLUME Founders, Anne Dougherty and Sara Conzemius announce how ILLUME's newly designed Executive Team will meet the changes facing the energy industry.

In episode 2 of this series, Anne speaks with each member of the Executive Team about their new roles, and what it means for the future of ILLUME and our clients.

Bahareh recently joined ILLUME and brings a depth and breadth of energy efficiency work to our Team – from architecture to buildings to government to implementation and evaluation. Listen to this podcast episode to hear more about Bahareh's journey to ILLUME as she begins the next chapter of her career.

In celebration of ILLUME's ninth anniversary, Co-Founders, Anne Dougherty and Sara Conzemius, reflect on nearly a decade of work in energy in this episode of Current. They share lessons learned and hint at what's next for ILLUME.

ILLUME Founder, Anne Dougherty, sits down with ILLUME evaluation experts Lisa LeBeau Obear and Pace Goodman to reflect on major changes in the energy industry and in our world, and how the definition of resiliency is continuously changing and is now taking on an expanded meaning. They discuss how evolving evaluation tools can help us navigate these uncertain and challenging times, while being inclusive of all customers and their needs.

In this podcast, ILLUME Senior Consultant, Riana Johnson has a conversation with sociologist Dr. Erin Heinz about her research on urban planning and climate policies. She describes methods for encouraging public participation and how we must shift our metrics to measure what matters to society. She paints an optimistic picture for meeting our climate goals.

In this episode of Current, ILLUME Principal Mike Li speaks with the Steve Cowell, President of E4TheFuture about the Infrastructure Bill, and its impact on helping the country transition to a clean energy economy. Steve starts by sharing his experience starting the Conservation Services Group, before tackling various provisions of the Infrastructure Bill and how it can help the nation meet the Administration's climate goals.

In this episode, Senior Managing Director of Energy Equity, Research, and Impacts talks to Paula Glover, President of the Alliance to Save Energy about her role in energy efficiency and what we have done and need to continue to do to work towards a more equitable energy future.

In this episode of Current, ILLUME Founder, Anne Dougherty talks with ILLUME Analyst, Arianna Zrzavy about Environmental Justice (EJ) and how EJ screening tools can be used to support communities and policy-makers in better serving historically disadvantaged or marginalized communities.

In this episode of Current, Anne Dougherty talks with ILLUME's People Champion, Yasmeen Chánes about what it means to be a values-driven workplace and ways that organizations are addressing employee wellness. From hybrid-working, to addressing DEI, to examining the after effects of the Great Resignation, this episode offers an in-depth look at how ILLUME lives its value of “Taking Good Care.”

In this podcast ILLUME Founder and Co-Owner, Anne Dougherty, talks with ILLUME Vice President, Laura Schauer, to discuss ways in which utilities are becoming more customer-centric as they seek to add value to the customer experience. This conversation is a follow up to Laura's blog, Why the Future of Utilities Is All About Adding Value to Customer Experience, published in collaboration with Salesforce

As the threat of climate change grows, states and utilities are looking to reshape our energy workforce on their way to building a cleaner economy. In this episode, we sit down with ILLUME's Eileen Hannigan and Mike Li to talk about our industry's transition from coal and natural gas to renewable resources, and discuss why the American workforce is at the center of that transition.

This podcast follows our team through a journey of one-on-one conversations focused on the experiences of our fellow team members navigating the workplace from a variety of identities and lived experiences with the goal of helping us all to be better colleagues, allies, and to better serve our work. In our second episode, ILLUME's Dr. Alex Dunn and Victor Mercado talk about the Latino/Latina/Latinx experience in the workplace and share insights on what it means to show up to the workplace when your experience is different than that of those around you.

In this episode of Current, ILLUME Co-Founders Anne Dougherty and Sara Conzemius reflect on the company's eighth anniversary as they talk through the dual mission of better serving the energy industry and better serving their employees. Listen in as they reminisce about the early days of the company and fast-forward to 2021 as Anne and Sara explain why the timing was right for an Advisory Board and why every company should have a People's Champ.

This podcast follows our team through a journey of one-on-one conversations focused on the experiences of our fellow team members navigating the workplace from a variety of identities and lived experiences with the goal of helping us all to be better colleagues, allies, and to better serve our work. In our first episode, ILLUME's Jes Rivas and Amanda Maass talk about the LGBTQ experience in the workplace and share insights on what it means to show up to the workplace when your experience is different than that of those around you.

How can organizations create cultures that enable employees to bring their full selves to the workplace? In this special preview of ILLUME's next podcast series, we sit down with University of Arizona Associate Professor of Anthropology, Dr. Eric Plemons and University of Arizona Associate Professor of Emerging Literacies in Rhetoric, Composition & the Teaching of English, Dr. Stephanie Troutman Robbins, to help us think critically about how discussions that focus on race and gender are good for us and can help us be better colleagues, and do better work.

Join ILLUME Director, Dr. Liz Kelley and Senior Analyst, Emily Morris as they discuss best practices in health and energy programs to help us answer the question: How are utilities and program administrators thinking about and exploring the health and energy nexus?

In this special episode, Anne Dougherty interviews members of Tucson's Commission on Climate, Energy, and Sustainability. Get an insider's look at how community leaders are thinking through equity, energy impacts, climate adaptation plans, economic development, and restoring the balance between our natural spaces, our cities, and ourselves. Plus, listen in as these commissioners describe their first experience at the Behavior, Energy, and Climate Change (BECC) Conference.

What is in store for the energy industry in 2021? Join ILLUME co-founders Anne Dougherty and Sara Conzemius as they reflect on the lessons of 2020 while they chart ILLUME's course for 2021. Packed with insights from start to finish, this podcast is a must-listen for those reading the tea leaves as a new federal administration comes into office. From workforce development, to transportation electrification, to ways the federal government can leverage existing clean energy efforts of cities and states, this episode has it all. Discover why some sectors of our industry experienced tremendous growth despite the pandemic, and find out why we can't stop talking about the Birdcage shower at the Copper King Mansion in Montana.

ILLUME Founders and Co-owners Anne Dougherty and Sara Conzemius reflect on the last seven years of ILLUME and prepare to lean into 2021 and support the utility industry as it takes on its biggest challenges yet.

In this episode of Current, we talk mapping, redlining, and urban heat with University of Arizona Assistant Professor of Planning and Sustainable Built Environments, Dr. Ladd Keith and ILLUME Consultant, Amanda Maass. Listen as they share their reactions to the New York Times article, "How Decades of Racist Housing Policy Left Neighborhoods Sweltering".

Anne Dougherty talks with ILLUME's Dr. Alex Dunn and Erin Allingham about the intersection of cognitive psychology and behavioral economics, two fields of study that can help us better understand utility customer non-participation and other behaviors. From equity to research methods, to conversations about burritos and Ben & Jerry's ice cream, this episode has it all.

This week is all about solar as installers and contractors slowly return to work as states begin to reopen parts of the clean energy economy. Listen in as ILLUME's Victor Mercado talks with Katharine Kent, Owner and President of The Solar Store, as they discuss the shift to direct-to-consumer sales, the role of government and regulation in the solar space, and how to attract diverse talent.

On this week's podcast we are joined by ILLUME Managing Director, Lisa LeBeau Obear and Senior Research Analyst, Riana Johnson as we delve into a Twitter conversation at the intersection of COVID-19, HVAC systems, and indoor air quality. Join us as we search for meaning after a post by renowned statistician, Nate Silver, leads us down the energy efficiency rabbit hole.

On this episode of Current we sit down for a conversation with Yassamin Ansari, Principal Advisor for Mission 2020 and candidate for Phoenix City Council District 7. Listen in as Anne Dougherty talks with Yassamin about climate and energy issues from a local perspective, as well as other important issues like clean energy jobs, transportation electrification, environmental justice, and how to engage the next generation of voters and climate activists.

Clean energy employs more than 3.4 million Americans: this includes construction workers who provide weatherization improvements in people's homes, factory workers who manufacture ENERGY STAR appliances, and electricians who upgrade HVAC systems. On this episode of Current we revisit our webinar on Energy Contractor Networks in light of last week's passing of the Moving Forward Act, enacted to bring economic relief after more than 600,000 clean energy jobs were lost due to COVID-19.

Environmental justice has reached a tipping point in 2020 as COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted people of color. The words "I can't breathe" have taken new meaning in communities across the country already left vulnerable by negative environmental impacts. Join Anne Dougherty as she speaks with ILLUME's Dr. Courtney Henderson and Allison T. Musvosvi as they discuss environmental justice from public health and sociological perspectives.

In this episode, Sara Conzemius talks with Georgia Power's Terrilyn Simmons about the utility's efforts to promote energy efficiency, diversity, and the importance of multicultural research to create messaging that speaks to Georgia Power's nearly 2.5 million diverse customers.

Whether you walk, bike, or ride, this episode is dedicated to public transportation and mobility under COVID-19. From "open streets" to empty subways, Americans are rethinking how to get from point A to point B, and in the process, changing the character of our cities. Listen in as Anne Dougherty talks with ILLUME's Dr. Liz Kelley and Amanda Maass as they share their perspectives from a lens of cultural anthropology and urban planning.

In this episode of Current we preview this week's webinar on The Digital Divide with Steve Holmes, Superintendent of the second-largest district in Southern Arizona. Steve sits down with ILLUME's Victor Mercado to talk access and equity, public-private partnerships, and why more needs to be done to incentivize schools as they transition to clean energy.

Anne Dougherty and Ben Riehle from the Apex Team at Keller Williams Southern Arizona discuss the state of property management ahead of this week's virtual focus group with leaders of some of Arizona's largest master-planned, multifamily, commercial, retail, and restaurant developments.

We go behind-the-scenes as ILLUME Founders and Co-Owners, Anne Dougherty and Sara Conzemius, talk about the impacts of COVID-19 on small businesses ahead of a virtual focus group with entrepreneurs and business owners.

In this week's podcast we discuss ways that evaluation practitioners in the energy industry are thinking through program impacts in light of COVID-19. Listen in as Anne Dougherty talks with ILLUME's technical team as they discuss how massive shifts in energy use patterns has us rethinking everything from baselines to alternative metrics for 2020.

As the country's attention, actions, and spending are fully mobilized toward public health and the economy ILLUME Technical Director for Quantitative Research, Amanda Dwelley sits down with Anne Dougherty to discuss the overlap between public health and energy, supporting vulnerable populations, and rethinking our metrics for distributive justice.

COVID-19 has, in a matter of weeks, radically changed the American landscape. In this special episode of Current we navigate how the energy industry responds and adapts to the novel coronavirus as we preview our upcoming ILLUME webinar, "Research Considerations in the Time of COVID-19."

Today's utility customers are more diverse, communicate in a variety of languages, and employ different language registers throughout the day. In this episode, Anne Dougherty talks with ILLUME's Dr. Alex Dunn, Managing Director and Dr. Liz Kelley, Director for Qualitative Research as they preview their upcoming webinar and presentation at ACEEE's Summer Study on Energy Efficiency and Buildings, "A Rose is Not a Rose by Any Other Name: Why Language in Context Matters."

In this episode, Anne Dougherty travels to Portland, Oregon to talk with ILLUME Senior Managing Director, Jes Rivas about why emerging technologies and new business initiatives are becoming more common, and how utilities can shift their thinking around the pipeline development process.

ILLUME's in-house political tracker, Erin LaVoie takes a closer look at the 2020 presidential candidates through the lens of climate change, as she examines their plans and policies to tackle this existential threat.

ILLUME Founders and Co-Owners Anne Dougherty and Sara Conzemius kickoff our podcast series with a mini deep dive of our 2020 Magazine: Ingenuity and Resilience.