“For decades, we’ve built the grid to meet peak demand, even though large portions of it sit unused for most hours of the year,” said Ian Magruder, executive director of Utilize. “It’s like building an airplane that only flies with full passengers a few times a year. That excess capacity is hiding in plain sight, and new technologies give us the opportunity to unlock it. Better grid utilization is one of the fastest, most practical levers states can pull to reduce power bills while supporting economic growth.”

Utilize is designed as a nonpartisan, state-focused coalition that works with governors, legislatures, utilities, regulators, and stakeholders across the political spectrum. The coalition supports technology-neutral policies that increase grid utilization by aligning planning, incentives, and regulatory frameworks around affordability, reliability, and speed, the press release said. The coalition will engage directly with states to help translate research into action, working alongside policymakers, industry, utilities, and consumer advocates to ensure better grid utilization becomes a core principle of modern grid planning, the press release said.

“Better grid utilization depends on coordinated action across technology, utilities, and policymakers,” said Hakan Yilmaz, president at Carrier Energy and chief sustainability officer at Carrier Global. “Flexible, intelligent energy systems have a significant role to play in improving grid performance. Smart heating and cooling solutions can help manage peaks and maximize existing infrastructure, reducing the need for costly overbuild.”

To illustrate the magnitude of the opportunity, Utilize will soon release new research that shows that U.S. consumers could save more than $100 billion over ten years on their electricity bills due to system utilization improvements. An increase in utilization will also enable economic growth by allowing new electricity consumers to connect to the grid more quickly, the press release said.