Companies Pair Expertise in Customer Engagement and Grid Edge Innovation to Help Utilities Improve Reliability, Affordability and Customer Participation

Combines SmartMark's customer engagement expertise with Itron's Grid Edge Intelligence leadership to help utilities better connect customer engagement and grid operations.
Helps utilities improve reliability, affordability and customer experience while increasing visibility into behind-the-meter resources.
Supports customer participation in energy management through strategic planning, customer education and industry collaboration.

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 19, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- SmartMark Communications announced today that it is collaborating with Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI), the intelligent infrastructure provider for modern energy and water management, to help utilities better connect customer engagement with grid operations. Through the collaboration, the companies will deliver end-to-end customer-to-grid solutions that focus on improving customer experience and gaining access to more behind-the-meter resources.

By bringing together SmartMark's expertise in customer education and communication and Itron's leadership in Grid Edge Intelligence, the companies will help utilities improve reliability, enhance customer experience and address affordability challenges.

Utilities face growing pressure to maintain reliable and affordable service while managing increasing energy demand, evolving customer expectations and a rapidly changing energy landscape. Through this collaboration, SmartMark and Itron will help utilities engage customers as active participants in energy management, creating new opportunities to improve operational efficiency, grid flexibility and customer satisfaction.

The collaboration brings together an end-to-end approach to customer engagement and grid operations, including:

Strategic planning and program design to align customer engagement with modernization initiatives
Customer education and communications programs that improve awareness, increase participation and support energy management goals
Solutions that provide customers with greater awareness, choice and control while helping utilities better understand and manage grid conditions
Industry collaboration focused on advancing customer-to-grid strategies and supporting greater interoperability across the energy ecosystem
Customer-focused programs that improve satisfaction by providing clearer information, more relevant support and a more seamless experience across utility touchpoints

"SmartMark has been working diligently with Itron to reframe the industry conversation on the grid edge and the role of customers in capacity planning and grid operations," said Juliet Shavit, president and CEO of SmartMark Communications. "Utilities have an opportunity to move beyond traditional customer communications and create meaningful engagement that benefits both customers and the grid. By combining our expertise, we can help utilities improve customer understanding, encourage participation and realize the full potential of their grid modernization efforts."

"SmartMark and Itron are aligned in our understanding of where the energy industry is headed and the important role customers will play in that future," said Nick Tumilowicz, director of distributed energy management for Itron's Outcomes business. "By bringing together SmartMark's expertise in customer engagement and Itron's Grid Edge Intelligence portfolio, we're helping utilities strengthen customer relationships while creating new opportunities to improve reliability, affordability and operational flexibility."

By combining customer engagement strategies with grid-edge intelligence, SmartMark and Itron are helping utilities realize greater value from grid modernization investments. The collaboration supports stronger customer participation, greater operational flexibility and improved visibility into behind-the-meter resources, while helping utilities break down organizational silos, bring industry stakeholders together and address interoperability challenges.

For more than 20 years, SmartMark Communications has helped utilities improve customer engagement, education and program participation. The company provides strategic consulting, customer research and communications services that help utilities navigate industry change and build stronger relationships with the customers they serve.

About SmartMark Communications

For more than two decades, SmartMark Communications has been the world leader in smart grid consumer education and has helped utilities engage with their customers in energy reduction while improving customer satisfaction. With a unique understanding of customer-to-grid dynamics and an extensive history in grid transformation, SmartMark designs and implements some of today's most innovative utility programs. In addition, the Company also serves as a subject matter expert and key advisor to policy makers, investment firms, and companies building energy strategies.

Today, the Company has expanded to include technology solutions to help today's utilities engage with customers behind the meter for grid flexibility. Learn more at smartmarkglobal.com.

Emma Poling, SmartMark Communications, 215-504-4272

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SOURCE SmartMark Communications