Setting the Gold Standard: SCE's Consumer Advisory Panel
Spotlight on success: March is our masterclass in community engagement. Rather than simply saying it matters, we’re showcasing the actual impact such efforts can make, from utility-led advisory structures and community organizing to regional partnership strategies and consumer advocacy. Each spotlight edition examines a different approach and the practical principles behind it. Don’t miss the step-by-step playbook for replicating similar programs in your organization!
Southern California Edison’s Consumer Advisory Panel A Gold Standard for Utility–Community Engagement
If community engagement were easy, every organization would do it well. In reality, many initiatives stall somewhere between good intentions and meaningful dialogue. This makes the spotlight on Southern California Edison’s Consumer Advisory Panel (CAP) shine even brighter, as the model demonstrates showcasing what authentic engagement looks like.
The CAP was launched in 1998, as Southern California Edison (SCE) recognized that to effectively serve a community, they needed to fully understand the unique needs and challenges within that community. The goal: increase awareness and clarity about consumer issues while helping SCE strengthen its services across its territory. It went beyond traditionally rote engagement strategies, creating a structured forum where community leaders could share insight, raise concerns, and offer guidance on emerging issues affecting customers.
At its core, the CAP functioned as a bridge between SCE and the communities it serves. The panel comprised leaders from nonprofit, community, faith-based and business organizations representing a wide range of consumer and access and functional needs (AFN) groups, including communities of color, veterans, people with disabilities, LGBTQ customers, and low-income households. In total, the panel included 14 volunteer representatives drawn from across SCE’s service area.
Members served three-year terms and met directly with SCE leadership, including members of the company’s executive team. CAP members offered practical insight on major operational, regulatory, and policy issues, then returned to their communities as trusted sources of information about SCE programs and initiatives.
What made this ultimately impactful was the fact that these representatives spoke directly to the utility about the things that actually mattered to their communities. No bureaucratic red tape, no symbolic representation.
Keeping it Real
Again, the topics on the table for the CAP forum were not merely performative. The issues addressed were some of the most pressing that face energy providers and the communities that depend on them.
In dry and sunny California, wildfire safety and Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) protocols were a central area of discussion. CAP members reviewed mitigation strategies and provided feedback on outage communications, community preparedness, and the effect of power shutoffs on vulnerable populations.
The group also consulted on broader community engagement strategies, helping SCE design outreach approaches that reflected the needs and realities of diverse communities across its service area. In a very real way, outreach done right led to even greater outreach.
Regulatory and policy discussions were another key focus. Members examined topics such as general rate cases, proposed rate adjustments, and the transition to clean energy. Their perspectives informed SCE’s consideration of how policy decisions could affect households, small businesses, and community organizations.
Finally, CAP members contributed insight into customer assistance programs, including low-income initiatives like the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) and the Family Electric Rate Assistance (FERA) program. Their feedback directly helped strengthen community connection and improve enrollment, so more eligible customers could access critical support.
Trust and Understanding: Regulatory Harmony
The CAP created meaningful value for everyone involved.
For Southern California Edison, the panel provided direct insight into the lived experiences of diverse and vulnerable communities. That perspective helped the utility reduce blind spots, strengthen decision-making, and design more effective programs from wildfire safety strategies to its regulatory approach. Just as importantly, the panel helped build credibility and trust within the communities SCE serves.
For CAP members and the nonprofit, business, and community sectors they represented, the panel offered a rare opportunity to influence major utility decisions that affect their constituents. Instead of reacting to policies after they were finalized, organizations could raise concerns and offer solutions early in the planning process, helping ensure more equitable outcomes.
Customers also benefited, particularly those in AFN communities. Because CAP members brought firsthand insight into cultural, economic, and accessibility challenges, SCE was able to develop policies, communications, and programs that inclusively addressed real community needs.
The result was a collaborative forum where dialogue translated into stronger policies, better communication, and a more resilient and equitable energy system.
Why it Matters
The importance of the CAP was evidenced by its ability to bring diverse community voices directly into decisions that affect safety, affordability, and access to essential electricity services. Just as importantly, it strengthened relationships between the utility and the communities it serves, building trust and improving communication on complex issues.
A Model Worth Replicating
While the CAP has been discontinued, its impact led SCE to create more permanent panels and policies that reflect the key learnings from its tenure. The CAP led to actual, long-term improvement in how SCE serves its communities.
Perhaps the strongest testament to the CAP’s success is what it inspired. The model helped lead to the creation of the Clean Energy Access Working Group (CEAWG), which continues to bring community voices into conversations about equitable access to clean energy.
That evolution underscores an important lesson: authentic engagement isn’t a one-time initiative. It’s a long-term commitment to listening, collaboration, and shared problem-solving.
For utilities and organizations seeking to strengthen community partnerships, Southern California Edison’s Consumer Advisory Panel offers a clear blueprint. Done well, community engagement isn’t just outreach, it’s a structure that embeds diverse perspectives directly into decision-making.
Read on for the playbook on how to make this happen in your community or organization.
Community Panel Playbook
For organizations looking to build a similar forum for community insight, the approach behind Southern California Edison Customer Advisory Panel offers a practical blueprint. Consider the following checklist when developing your own panel:
☐ Define the mission clearly Establish a guiding purpose and identify the issues where community perspective is most valuable, whether that’s safety, policy, customer programs, or outreach.
☐ Build a panel that reflects the community Recruit volunteers whose perspectives represent the populations most affected by your organization’s decisions. The goal is a wide range of lived experiences, not just technical expertise.
☐ Create a consistent meeting structure Establish a regular cadence for dialogue, such as quarterly meetings. Each session should include updates from all parties, opportunities for members to raise issues, and time for feedback.
☐ Ensure transparency, accountability and real influence Don’t allow feedback to vanish into a suggestion box. Share data, plans, and challenges openly, and report back on how panel input informs decisions. Involve members early in the process rather than after policies are finalized.
☐ Focus discussions on issues that matter to customers Prioritize topics with tangible community impact: safety initiatives, affordability programs, policy changes, and communication strategies. Panels are most effective when discussions speak directly to the everyday realities of the people they represent.
☐ Make participation meaningful for members Provide real benefit to members that goes beyond symbolic gestures—access to internal experts, new information members can bring back to their communities, and a platform to elevate local concerns to decision-makers.
☐ Document and share outcomes Capture key takeaways, decisions, and follow-up actions after each meeting. Sharing outcomes reinforces transparency and helps extend the panel’s insights beyond the room
