Pacific Power Uses AI to Boost Program Enrollment

The utility grew its low-income discount program by 9,000 enrollees by deploying AI to identify and assist eligible customers.

Updated on Oct. 27, 2026 in Utilities

Isometric editorial illustration of a power pole transformer, representing infrastructure efficiency in utility assistance programs. — Pacific Power added 9,000 households to its low-income discount program in 2026 by leveraging artificial intelligence to identify and enroll eligible customers. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Pacific Power earned a 2026 Achievement Award for utilizing artificial intelligence to streamline enrollment in its low-income utility discount program. The initiative successfully added 9,000 customers to the program in Oregon.

Why it matters

Utilities face ongoing pressure to improve the accessibility of social programs, and using AI to automate eligibility identification and personalize communication can significantly boost program participation rates.

Pacific Power added 9,000 new users to its discount program using AI, bringing the total enrollment to 78,000 customers. The program offers rate reductions between 20% and 80% for households earning up to 60% of the state median income.

The players

Pacific Power

An electric utility providing power services to residents and businesses across Oregon, Washington, and California.

The details

The utility deployed artificial intelligence to identify households qualifying for financial assistance based on income data. Beyond detection, the company refined its outreach messaging to guide these specific customers through the application process, effectively lowering barriers to entry for those entitled to bill discounts.

2026: Pacific Power received an Achievement Award for its artificial intelligence implementation.

Market Landscape

Pacific Power's program follows the broader utility sector trend of adopting digital tools to manage complex social service eligibility verification. This shift marks a departure from manual, paper-heavy outreach toward predictive, AI-driven customer identification.

Operators in sectors with high compliance or eligibility burdens should evaluate if AI tools can reduce friction in their own customer onboarding processes. Monitoring the conversion metrics of automated versus manual outreach may reveal significant opportunities to capture eligible users efficiently.

The takeaway

Using AI to bridge the gap between eligibility and enrollment can drive higher participation in critical customer support programs. Operators should track their conversion funnel metrics to identify where manual administrative hurdles prevent qualified customers from accessing available services.