1. Efficiency first - even if it’s boring: Insulating homes, upgrading HVAC systems and swapping in efficient appliances might not grab headlines, but they save the most energy per dollar. “It’s one house, one widget at a time,” Brickhouse said.
2. Plan for who loses power – not just how many: Resilience planning should focus on vulnerable households who can’t afford generators or hotel stays during outages. Outage numbers alone don’t tell the whole story.
3. Watch the new big energy users: Data centers and AI computing can spike demand as abruptly as “everybody going to the bathroom at halftime during the Super Bowl.” The challenge: making sure costs and benefits are shared fairly between tech companies and everyday customers.
4. Diversify – and be smart about it: From rooftop solar and pumped hydro to hydrogen storage and virtual power plants, no single technology will solve the problem. “There’s no silver bullet — but there is silver buckshot.”
5. Build trust and buy-in: Whether it’s letting a green | spaces crew work in your home, agreeing to a thermostat adjustment during peak hours or supporting community-scale solar, local participation is essential.