01
Where will EV adoption and load growth occur?
Identify likely EV clusters and forecast hourly charging impacts by customer, neighborhood, block group, ZIP code, feeder and service area.
Grid Impact Model for Electric Utilities
Localized load forecasting, grid-risk screening and managed charging economics—in one planning platform.
Forecast where EV and electrification growth will occur, identify potential transformer and feeder exposure, and determine whether managed charging can improve utility financial performance.
Designed for electric cooperatives, municipal utilities, IOUs, G&Ts, consultants and technology providers.
Localized EV Planning2035 SCENARIO
Forecast levelBlock group
Hourly profiles8,760
Scenario statusScreened
From awareness to action
Answer the planning questions that determine what a utility should do next
GIM links localized forecasting, distribution screening and program economics so these decisions are not evaluated in isolation.
02
Where could localized grid constraints emerge?
Screen transformer and feeder loading under unmanaged EV, electrification, growth and extreme-weather scenarios.
03
Which managed charging strategy fits?
Compare telematics, AMI-based and meter-collar approaches based on cost, communications, control and participation assumptions.
04
Will managed charging produce a positive return?
Quantify G&T coincident-demand savings, program costs, EV revenue margins, cash flows, NPV and other investment metrics.
Bottom-up planning workflow
Connect customer-level intelligence to utility investment decisions
01
Identity-protected customer data
MAISY records, demographics, housing, commuting, weather and end-use metering.
02
Adoption and hourly-load forecasts
Customer digital twins produce localized EV and residential 8,760 profiles.
03
Grid and program scenarios
Screen loading, managed charging, DSM, DER, VPP and weather alternatives.
04
Engineering and business decisions
Prioritize studies, compare strategies and document financial performance.
Expanded Grid Impact Model
New worksheets move GIM from forecasting to actionable screening and investment analysis
Users can interrogate individual high-priority areas and evaluate the complete utility business case without leaving the Excel-based platform.
New engineering-risk worksheet
Test transformer exposure for any selected block group
Select a block group and enter practical planning assumptions—including transformer size, existing loading, households per transformer, planning limit, loading-calculation hours and power factor.
Calculates projected loading with localized EV growth
Flags results above the utility planning limit
Separately flags results above nameplate capacity
Identifies potential early-replacement candidates for engineering review
Supports rapid comparison of alternative transformer assumptions
This worksheet supports planning-level screening and prioritization. It does not replace transformer-specific loading measurements, power-flow analysis or detailed engineering evaluation.
Block Group Transformer ScreenUSER SELECTED
Existing loading
75%
Planning limit
90%
EV scenario
108%
Rated capacity exceededPotential early replacement
Illustrative output. Actual results depend on user inputs and GIM forecasts.
New service-area business-case worksheet
Evaluate the full economics of managed EV charging
Combine GIM forecasts with co-op-specific G&T charges, retail margins, participation and engagement assumptions, customer incentives, administration and technology costs.
Placeholder cost structures for telematics, AMI and meter-collar strategies
Unmanaged EV cost and revenue impacts across the service area
Managed-program avoided demand charges and incremental energy margins
One-time, annual, per-EV and levelized program costs
Benefit/cost ratio, payback, NPV, annual cash flow and customer metrics
Total co-op EV economics including participating and nonparticipating EVs
Cost, cash-flow and decision metrics are organized to support utility capital planning and RUS or other federal grant documentation. Utilities should confirm the requirements of the specific funding program and replace placeholder costs with current vendor and utility estimates.
Managed Charging Business CaseEXAMPLE RESULTS
Benefit / cost ratio2.08
7-year NPV$347,591
Simple payback12 months
Net benefit / enrolled EV$185.89
Annual program benefits$111,869
Net annual benefit$58,162
Representative 16,822-customer co-op scenario; not a prediction for another utility.
Integrated scenario analysis
One model for emerging load, grid exposure and flexible-load strategies
GIM allows utilities to test how multiple changes interact rather than treating each technology or planning issue separately.
EV adoption and charging
Current, 2030 and 2035 ownership, clustering, charging behavior, unmanaged peaks and managed-load scenarios.
Electrification and growth
Housing additions, demolition and rebuilding, appliance changes, customer growth and evolving end-use loads.
Extreme weather
Weather-sensitive AC and space-heating loads evaluated alongside new EV and electrification impacts.
DSM and demand response
AC, water heating, appliances and other load-control options with participation, availability and recovery assumptions.
DER and battery storage
Distributed resources and storage evaluated as complements or alternatives to conventional grid investment.
VPP and non-wires alternatives
Portfolio dispatch and targeted load support screened against localized constraints and system peak objectives.
Decision-ready results
From detailed hourly loads to board-level investment metrics
Interactive Excel dashboards, charts, tables, maps and export files allow technical and management users to work from a consistent set of assumptions.
Localized hourly forecasts
Customer, neighborhood, block group, ZIP code, feeder and service-area profiles by end use and scenario.
Adoption and hotspot forecasts
Probability-based household EV ownership and geographically concentrated charging impacts.
Transformer screening
Planning-limit and rated-capacity flags based on user-selected assumptions and localized forecasts.
Managed charging economics
Program benefits, technology and administration costs, incentives, margins and avoided G&T demand charges.
Investment decision metrics
Payback, benefit/cost ratio, NPV, annual and cumulative cash flow, and per-customer or per-EV results.
Engineering-ready exports
Hourly profiles for CYME, Synergi, WindMil, OpenDSS, GIS and other distribution-planning workflows.
Practical implementation
Useful with or without detailed circuit models
GIM can provide rapid block-level screening where circuit models are limited. Where detailed models exist, it serves as an analytics front end that identifies priority locations and supplies scenario-based hourly profiles.
7+ millionidentity-protected records
150+utility, government and business clients
40+ yearsof utility-modeling experience
No customer contact requiredMAISY data and supporting public datasets provide the modeling foundation; AMI data can supplement the analysis but are not required.
Turnkey utility setupJackson Associates prepares the service-area customer sample, supporting databases, calibration and initial scenarios.
Visible, adjustable assumptionsUtility users can revise key program, cost, engineering and forecast assumptions directly in the Excel interface.
Training and continued supportImplementation includes user training and support so results can be tested, explained and applied internally.
Supporting information
Examples, presentations and planning resources
See how GIM applies to your utility
Choose a 15-minute executive overview or a 45-minute working demonstration of inputs, scenarios, outputs and business-case analysis.