MyHEAT
201-1228 Kensington Rd NW
Calgary, AB T2N 3P7
Canada
The HEAT Seat: Episode 2 with Angie Ostaszewski |
Director of Strategy and Innovation at SEEL
In this episode of The HEAT Seat, Angie Ostaszewski shares insights about feeling limitless in energy work, the power of partnerships, designing utility programs that outlast their creators, and bundling efficiency with real-world needs.
Who is Angie Ostaszewski?
Angie is an award-winning leader in the clean energy sector for a decade with experience at Ameren and New Buildings Institute, and now at SEEL (Solutions for Energy Efficient Logistics) as Director of Strategy and Innovation. SEEL has been doing diversity and equity work for a long time. Beyond this, Angie is a powerhouse of building community and safe spaces, inclusion and equity.
She ran the equity and innovation portfolio for Ameren Illinois’ Energy Efficiency programs. She is passionate about keeping a pulse on what is new in the energy industry and program design.
Key Takeaways
Extensive Opportunities in Energy Collaboration
In the energy sector, collaboration is abundant. With a wealth of funding opportunities available—from federal and utility programs to private and foundation grants—the industry is brimming with potential. This diverse range of financial resources paves the way for innovation, expansion, and greater accessibility to clean energy solutions.
For companies that have never seriously considered renewables or solar, the time for change is now. New sustainability mandates at the state and city levels are pushing businesses to rethink their strategies, adapt to evolving regulations, and embrace growth in ways they hadn’t before. At SEEL, Angie experiences a sense of limitless potential —an uncommon feeling in many corporate environments – saying, “We’re not limited to a specific service territory or program type”.
This flexibility is key to unlocking the power of collaboration. SEEL brings together experts who might not otherwise cross paths, fostering partnerships that accelerate progress in clean energy adoption. For Angie, this sense of boundless opportunity helps fuels her passion for making clean energy more accessible and equitable for all communities. By bridging gaps, connecting innovators, and leveraging diverse funding streams, she sees a future where sustainable energy solutions aren’t just possible—they’re inevitable.
When asked if there was one solution she would implement to solve a clean energy problem? Simplify the funding process for those making change. Funding should go directly to those delivering impact—streamlining qualification, reporting, and participation requirements and cutting out a lot of administrative barriers.
Rethinking Utility Energy Programs: From selling benefits to preventing loss
Many utilities focus on selling the benefits of their programs, but a mindset shift is needed. “People are more motivated to prevent a loss than to pursue a gain,” Angie explained. “Instead of saying, ‘Save money with efficiency upgrades,’ utilities should focus on preventing pain points—like reducing winter discomfort or making moving easier.”
This insight highlights a key challenge: if the foundation for a program isn’t strong, rolling it out can feel forced or disconnected from what customers actually need. Successful utility marketing must consider how people make decisions—not always rationally, but based on emotions, habits, and perceived risks.
Throughout our conversation, a recurring theme emerged—utilities need to rethink how they communicate with customers. Angie, with her background in economics and sociology, emphasized that human behavior isn’t always logical, and utility messaging should reflect that reality. 🔗 Read more about effective utility marketing strategies here.
At MyHEAT, we’ve embraced this philosophy by shifting the focus from to preventing energy loss. Our heat maps visually highlight inefficiencies in homes, making the issue tangible and motivating homeowners to take action.
Do you know someone who should speak about their work in the energy sector on The HEAT Seat? Get in touch and let us know!
Improve energy efficiency program results with compelling and comparable visual heat loss and solar potential insights, at city-scale.