Meet Haider Khan.
He’s using cloud technology to help make energy more affordable for all.
People need food and medicine to survive. But 32% of Americans said they had to eat less or skip their medication to afford paying an energy bill in 2023.
There are many programs that utility companies offer to help customers understand their energy needs, use less energy, and significantly lower their monthly bills. But low-income households often don't join these energy efficiency programs, even though they would benefit the most from them.
This is one of the problems that Haider takes on in his work. He uses cloud computing and advanced data analytics to find out more about the specific needs, views, and obstacles of energy justice communities, or low-income communities and communities of color. These populations usually spend a larger part of their income on energy bills—and this "energy burden" is often three times higher than other households.
Haider has been interested in these problems since he was a kid watching the vapor from car exhausts, wondering where it went and what we could do about it. With an engineering degree and a specialization in modeling, simulation, and optimization, he applies his analytical problem-solving approach to support the challenges of energy policymakers and utility companies.
Haider and his team have built a data analysis platform that uses AI and the speed of the cloud to quickly and easily identify the most cost-effective methods to reduce energy bills for low-income households.
“The power of cloud analytics is that we can make a real impact for communities with vulnerable populations."
Haider is also helping utilities track progress and evaluate the impacts of customer programs that deliver energy efficiency and demand flexibility. He and his team are using every available tool and technology to show utilities, the broader energy industry, and policymakers that there are insights available in this data that can solve challenging problems. AI and advanced data analysis can drill all the way down to target key neighborhoods to join these programs, reaching customers who can most benefit by shifting demand and saving energy.
Maximizing the reach and impact of demand flexibility and energy efficiency—and using data to shed light on what is actually happening on the ground—is meaningful to Haider. It’s a significant and tangible step in reducing the burden of utility costs across the community of greatest need.
