Key takeaways
- Utilities include public power systems, electric cooperatives, investor-owned utilities, water and wastewater systems and gas utilities — each with different ownership, oversight and buying processes.
- Public power utilities make up 59% of U.S. electric utilities but serve 15% of customers; investor-owned utilities are 5% of utilities but serve 66% of customers.
- Purchases follow capital plans, rate proceedings and board or council approvals, and technical staff shape the requirements.
- For Siemens, KSG contacted 2,500+ utilities and booked 70 qualified meetings; for Kamstrup, we interviewed 1,000+ water agencies.
Types of utilities
| Utility type | Who owns and oversees it |
|---|---|
| Public power | Community-owned, not-for-profit electric utilities run by cities, counties or public utility districts and governed by local boards or councils. They make up 59% of electric utilities and serve 15% of customers. |
| Electric cooperatives | Member-owned utilities governed by boards elected by their members: 26% of utilities and 13% of customers. |
| Investor-owned utilities | Shareholder-owned companies regulated by state public utility commissions: 5% of utilities, 66% of customers. |
| Water and wastewater | Municipal, special district and privately owned systems of every size; EPA's service-area dataset covers more than 44,000 community water systems. |
| Gas and telecom | Municipal gas systems, investor-owned gas utilities and municipal broadband providers. |
Electric utility shares from the American Public Power Association; water figure from the U.S. EPA. See sources below.
Who's involved in utility buying
- general managers and directors of operations;
- engineering, asset management and GIS teams;
- metering, AMI and customer service leaders;
- IT, OT and cybersecurity staff;
- finance and procurement; and
- governing boards and councils — or, for investor-owned utilities, the state regulators who review investments.
How utilities buy
- Capital plans. Major projects appear in multi-year capital improvement plans long before a solicitation is issued.
- Rates and regulation. Investor-owned utilities seek approval for investments and rates from state commissions; public utilities set rates through their boards or councils.
- Funding programs. Water and wastewater projects are often financed through state revolving funds and other grant and loan programs.
- Technical evaluation. Engineers and operations staff — and the consulting engineers who advise them — set specifications, so early technical conversations matter.
- Pilots. New technology is often proven in a limited deployment before a broader rollout.
How KSG approaches utility outreach
- Segment utilities by type, size, service territory and technical role.
- Hold technical discovery conversations about current platforms, software environments and infrastructure priorities.
- Capture intelligence — vendors, priorities, pain points and buying signals — in a structured way.
- Qualify and schedule credible opportunities into sales meetings.
Results in utilities
- Siemens: 2,500+ utilities contacted, 5,000+ structured intelligence data points and 70 qualified sales meetings, including outreach to municipal utilities and electric cooperatives.
- Kamstrup: first-hand conversations with directors at 1,000+ water agencies across the U.S. and Canada to map buying cycles and near-term opportunities for smart water meters.