The Customer Need

Utilities face a major challenge: How do they transition gas customers to electric systems while effectively balancing reliability, affordability, and clean energy goals?

Part of the challenge lies in the need to integrate different planning processes that are often carried out in siloes. Electrification and other new loads are introducing new consumption patterns that are substantially increasing system demand. The electric grid must accommodate these higher system peak, which place additional strain on aging infrastructure and require significant new investments. Meanwhile, the gas infrastructure must remaing a reliable source for customers who remain connected.

Because these networks serve different needs, electric and gas planners typically have different processes, timelines, datasets, and software. This lack of alignment makes it difficult to optimize supply, plan infrastructure upgrades, and ensure reliability across the two commodities, while maintaining an affordable service for both electric and gas customers.

The SAInt Workflow:

• Data Integration & Validation – Import and standardize gas and electric network models into a single platform.

• Geospatial Mapping & Demand Conversion – Analyze gas customers with respect to electric networks and convert gas demand into electric load.

• System Impact Analysis – Simulate power and gas networks to identify overloads, pressure constraints, and voltage issues.

• Optimization & Upgrade Planning – Evaluate grid reinforcements, non-wire alternatives, and cost-effective expansion strategies.

• Investment & Decision Support – Provide actionable insights to balance affordability, reliability, and clean energy goals in electrification efforts.

encoord's expertise, combined with SAInt's capabilities, ensures that utilities can make data-driven decisions to support reliable, cost-effective electrification of gas customers.

The Industry Value

The electrification of gas customers is important to the energy transition, but without integrated planning, utilities risk inefficient investments and reliability challenges. encoord’s software SAInt provides an integrated, replicable, scalable, and data-driven approach to addressing these challenges.

SAInt allows organizations to:

• Ensure reliable integration of new electric loads

• Reduce costs by optimizing investments across electric and gas infrastructure

• Accelerate decarbonization through prioritization of renewable energy sources where appropriate

• Improve planning & coordination by bridging gaps between gas and electric teams

• Support smarter, more reliable investments through data-backed insights for long-term energy strategies.

The future of electrification planning is integrated, and encoord’s SAInt is leading the way. By bridging the gap between electric and gas planning, utilities can reduce costs, improve system reliability, and accelerate decarbonization goals.