Choice Digital Releases the State of Energy Payments 2025

BROOMFIELD, CO — April 1, 2025 — Choice Digital, a digital disbursements platform for energy and utility incentive payments, today released the State of Energy Payments 2025, a national research report examining how utility payout experiences, such as deposit returns, rebates, and program incentives, shape customer satisfaction, program participation, and operational cost.

The report draws on a nationally representative survey of 1,072 U.S. household decision-makers conducted in fall 2024, alongside in-depth interviews with utility leaders. Together, they describe a gap between what utility customers expect from a payout and what most programs currently deliver.

Key findings:

• 88% of consumers would be satisfied or very satisfied with their utility if they had a choice of payout method.

• 74% of consumers are more likely to participate in an energy efficiency or demand response program when their preferred payout method is available.

• No single payout method draws more than 25% of consumer preference, which means any single default leaves most customers with a method they did not want.

• 69% of consumers want deposits returned the next day, digitally.

• 41% of consumers pay a fee to cash a check at least some of the time, with check-cashing fees running as high as 10% of face value.

The last finding points to an equity problem that extends well past the unbanked. While 19% of U.S. adults are unbanked or underbanked, financial insecurity reaches much further, and a payout method that costs money to access reduces the real value of every incentive a utility issues.

"Utilities are under real pressure to raise customer satisfaction and show program value, and the payout is one of the most powerful tools they have, and one of the most overlooked," said Jay Grinde, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder at Choice Digital. "This research confirms what we see in the field every day. Faster, more flexible, transparent payouts produce stronger customer relationships and better operating results."

The research reinforces why utility and energy teams are turning to an energy rebate payment platform. The report closes with practical recommendations for utility leaders, covering payout method segmentation, utility customer rebate delivery, real-time and digital delivery options, payment equity, and how program branding and communication affect participation.

The full report is available at choicedigital.com/state-of-energy-payments-2025.

About Choice Digital

Choice Digital is the payout experience complex programs trust — the modern way to pay people at scale in regulated industries. The Choice Suite gives every recipient a modern, branded, choose-your-own-method payout experience, while the Choice Platform gives program managers control, real-time visibility, and compliance built in. Make every payout matter.

Media contact: Theresa McEndree, Chief Growth Officer, theresa@cdco.io