Trust: The key to accelerating the energy transition

Building momentum in the energy transition requires more than just technological advancements or investment. Progress hinges on one thing: the trust energy brands can establish with their stakeholders.

As the landscape continues to evolve, trust has emerged as a pivotal asset for leaders navigating growth and transformation—guiding how businesses differentiate, innovate, and engage in the market. So, what can we learn from companies building trust in the transition?

Drawing on insights from our Energy Voices interview series, in this piece we gather perspectives from industry leaders on the crucial steps they are taking to build customer loyalty and drive the transition forward—turning trust into competitive advantage.

1. Moving beyond product

For energy brands, market differentiation is a challenge. Energy itself—whether electricity, gas, or renewable—is largely invisible in everyday life. This makes it critical for companies to transcend products and focus on the emotional, values-driven aspects of their brand. For external stakeholders, the world of energy touches daily life—acknowledging and understanding this impact is key.

As Michael Lee, CEO of Octopus Energy US, notes, “Energy is invisible, so the relationship with the brand becomes the deciding factor.” Octopus has built its reputation not only through competitive pricing, but by cultivating a brand rooted in customer-first thinking. By shifting its focus to experience over product, the company has created a foundation of trust that has fuelled its rapid growth.

Similarly, PJ Popovic, CEO of Rhythm Energy, points out that, in a world where there is no physical product, loyalty is often fostered solely through brand. “Brand is very important when you don’t have a physical product to sell. Your service, your offer, how you treat customers is your product—your brand should be about that. It’s about how much you invest in customer experience.”

So, how are leaders shifting their communications beyond product? “We use a lot of storytelling in our branding—several of our consumers that have taken that first leap; they’re early adopters, so we let them do our brand storytelling for us,” adds Rob Ford, Communications Director at rural electric membership cooperative Tipmont. “That way, it’s not just coming from us—it’s coming from somebody like them who lives nearby, who’s doing these things that may be a benefit to them down the road.”

2. Transparency as a guiding principle

In an industry steeped in uncertainty and change, transparency is essential. Trust is built not only by reporting the good news and positive progress, but by being open about challenges and maintaining honest communication. This is especially important for companies facing increasing scrutiny over sustainability, pricing, and the pace of the transition.

Being perceived by external stakeholders as a transparent company is critical in an industry where public perception is often a license to operate. Transparency earns trust, mitigates reputational risks, and fosters long-term relationships with communities, regulators, and investors—all of whom increasingly expect clear communication and accountability from energy companies.

“Our role as a brand is simple—build trust,” adds Ford at Tipmont. “We're owned by the consumers we serve. That unique business model gives us the freedom to innovate, but we can only do this if we have their trust.” The emerging success of Tipmont’s community-based business, and countless others across the sector, relies on an open dialogue with its stakeholders.

At a larger scale, the principle of transparency has allowed Siemens Energy to maintain credibility, even when navigating difficult industry dynamics. Christine McGee, Head of Communications at Siemens Energy North America, emphasizes that transparency is at the heart of their strategy. “We’re upfront about the complexities of the energy transition,” says McGee. “Customers and stakeholders appreciate that honesty because it builds trust over time.”

For Siemens Energy, embracing transparency has meant taking an incremental approach to the sector’s transformation—presenting their existing portfolio to the market in an honest way, while being backed by a longer-term vision. McGee adds: “We say the energy transition is a long and difficult journey, but we’re getting there…people don’t like the complexity, but you have to be honest that this is a complicated topic.”

3. Fostering connection

For many energy companies, technical expertise has long been the primary driver of brand positioning. But to truly stand out, companies need to go beyond facts and figures and forge emotional connections with their customers. Those succeeding are mastering the art of listening, learning, and proactively responding to emerging stakeholder needs.

“Historically, a lot of energy companies’ business models have not revolved around high-trust relationships,” shares Lee of Octopus Energy US. “In this industry, [there has] been a lot of focus on the electrons, on the steel, on the copper—we are a very engineering-centric industry. We’ve forgotten about the customer. How do you get a customer to love your experience, to love your product, and to want to interact with [your] organization?”

Brittany Herson, CEO of South Bay Energy, captures the essence of this strategy, explaining: “We engage with our customers face-to-face, creating personal relationships that make us stand apart.” Similarly, Popovic of Rhythm Energy adds, “It’s about being very human—you are talking about everyday needs, everyday people and how the impact of the transition touches their lives.”

Whether a large-scale or more nimble company, leading businesses are adopting this people-first mentality—engaging and connecting with their external stakeholders and empathising with them on a more frequent basis.

Other leaders highlight that the pace of the transition will only increase the need to listen. Julia Muggeridge, Vice President, Communications and Sustainability at Electricity Canada, underscores the criticality of understanding customer needs now before the market faces even greater disruption. “Customers need to trust that we are acting in their best interest, especially as we navigate the complexities of price increases and infrastructure upgrades,” she says. “There’s so much that customers are going to experience over the next twenty years—the only way [they will] be on board is if we develop trust with them.”

Trust will define the future of the transition

For brands across this rapidly evolving sector, trust will be the cornerstone of progress. Building momentum in the energy transition requires that companies not only innovate technologically but establish themselves as trustworthy partners in the eyes of their customers, stakeholders, and regulators.

Whether through reimagining the role of brand, embracing transparency, or building emotional connections, trust is the critical asset that will drive energy businesses forward. Those that act now—standing for more than just their products and consistently delivering on their promises—will not only navigate the transition successfully, but lead it.

The future of energy is being shaped today. The question is: Will your brand be trusted to lead the way?

Watch our Energy Voices series here or contact Will Bosanko, Managing Partner, Brand, at will.bosanko@brandpie.com if interested in joining a future Energy Voices conversation.