How Patty Durand’s professional experience from the energy sector will help Georgians save money on their energy bills and so much more. Written by Lydia Johnson
Meet Patty Durand.
Patty Durand is not a politician. She's an energy professional with nearly 20 years of experience in energy regulation, modernizing renewable energy systems, and consumer relations. She is a longtime advocate of consumer education, noting the disconnect between people and their utility companies as a roadblock to effective consumer engagement. This kind of experience is exactly what the Public Service Commission needs and the reason she is running for a seat on the commission.
Durand speaking at an energy conference
“I ran a national nonprofit called the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative for ten years, and we researched consumers: who they are and their values. The goal was to understand what consumers – regular people like you and me – know about energy, what we want from energy, [and] where we are interested in engaging with a utility or third parties when it comes to energy.
Every industry, including electricity, has experienced major disruption from the internet era. There was a need for a nonprofit to research consumers, because as people became more interested and involved with energy, leaders in the energy industry (utilities, commissions, and businesses) realized they needed to know consumers better than they did.”
Patty entered the energy industry nearly two decades ago after leaving a career in IT; she realized climate change and rising consumer costs were creating urgent concerns for Georgia communities. This eventually led her to take an interest in the work of the Public Service Commission, the agency responsible for addressing these concerns. Over the years, she noticed the Public Service Commission’s lack of effectiveness in prioritizing affordable utilities, failure to ensure utility companies acted in the public interest, and failure to develop renewable energy plans to address climate change. In short, she saw a Commission of under-qualified and uninformed officials making energy decisions that affected the lives of millions of Georgians. Her Term asked Patty about the moment that solidified her decision to run.
“I was appalled when the Public Service Commission passed a widely-opposed residential demand charge rate plan for new Georgia Power customers that was more expensive than the traditional rate plan. Commissioners were given testimony and research that showed this rate plan would harm vulnerable communities and people living in small dwellings, including affordable housing communities. It harms everybody moving into a new dwelling. I had a conversation with one of the Commissioners, and at first he denied the rate plan had passed. Once he agreed that the rate plan had passed, during our conversation, he was factually incorrect about the rate plan. I left thinking ‘He has got to go. There is no one protecting Georgians from high utility bills. It’s time for me to make sure he gets out that door.’ ”
Learn more about Patty Durand’s campaign at https://www.pattyforpsc.com/
Before formally launching her campaign in July 2021, Durand served as the first Executive Director of The Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC), a national energy nonprofit that focuses on consumer insight and research regarding electric utilities. As the organization's first Executive Director, she oversaw the SECC's growth from a small nonprofit to an organization with national scope.
Durand’s career has been heavily focused on community improvement; she has served as the Director of Georgia’s Sierra Club for four years and as Program Director for the Sandy Springs Greenspace Conservancy. She also volunteered with North Fulton Community Charities and Lost & Found Youth. Her dedication to the energy industry and respect for those who work in it is evident in her reflections on her time in these positions. She credits her work with the Sierra Club and the Sandy Springs Greenspace Conservancy for her pivot to the energy and environmental non-profit sectors. Those who worked with her in these roles attest to her commitment to results and the community, applauding her leadership and ability to connect her expertise and public service.
“Patty Durand has substantial expertise in energy and environmental affairs and is an extremely capable and analytical thinker who can bridge the divides between science and policy and between technology and humanity,” states Rand Knight, former Sierra Club Georgia Chapter Executive Committee member.
During the interview, Her Term asked Patty about her motivations for running for the Commission and, specifically, what she saw in the current Public Service Commission that affirmed she was the change the office needed.
“I would like to see more women in public office. I like Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s thought-process here: “When I'm sometimes asked 'When will there be enough [women on the Supreme Court]?', and I say 'When there are nine,' people are shocked. But there'd been nine men, and nobody's ever raised a question about that.”
Durand remained honest yet diplomatic regarding her opinions of the current state of Georgia’s energy industry and those who run it. Through humorous quips, her feelings were made clear: Georgia consumers are being charged too much, and their needs have been ignored for too long. Compared to other states, Georgia is years behind in addressing energy concerns and climate change, a fact that continues to hurt people and the environment.
What makes Durand stand out from her opponent, Tim Echols, are her years of service and employment in the energy and climate justice fields. Echols, a Public Service Commissioner incumbent first elected in 2010, was largely uninvolved in energy regulation until he joined the Public Service Commission. He is an avid supporter of the continued construction of Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, claiming the multi-billion dollar costs will be “worth it” for taxpayers. He voted to adopt a cap on how many consumers can enroll in Georgia Power’s rooftop solar program, which reduces the payback period to under ten years, effectively ending the program.
Durand is forward-thinking and solutions-oriented, with plans to bring Georgia’s approach to energy regulation into the 21st century.
“I feel like everything in my career has led me to this moment: I see the failures of the commission, and I understand how to address them. I want to contribute my knowledge and passion to help the people of Georgia afford their energy bills and address the major threat of climate change – with 21st century solutions that are affordable and viable.”
