The deadline has been extended, giving utilities more time to participate in one of the industry’s most established forecasting benchmarks.

For more than a decade, Itron’s annual benchmarking survey has helped electric and natural gas utilities compare forecasting practices, measure accuracy and better understand the trends shaping long-term demand. As utilities navigate electrification, changing customer behavior, large load growth and policy uncertainty, the survey continues to offer a useful view into how forecasting is evolving across North America.

Itron has extended the deadline for the 2026 Annual Energy Forecasting Survey to Friday, June 26, 2026. Utilities are encouraged to complete one survey for each operating company they forecast. 

Last year’s results show the value of the survey. The 2025 Forecasting Benchmark Survey included responses from 121 organizations representing more than 3,100 TWh of electricity consumption and 1,400 BCF of natural gas consumption across the United States and Canada. The results revealed that long-term electric forecast growth reached 2.15%, the highest level recorded since Itron began the survey in 2012, driven by electrification, electric vehicles, manufacturing growth and increasing data center demand. It also indicated an improved electric forecast accuracy year over year, while natural gas forecasting remained relatively stable.

All survey participants will receive a summary report and the results will be presented during our brown bag webinar on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. Attendance is limited to survey participants and utility-specific data will remain confidential. Register for this and the other webinars here. If you are new to the survey, you can review the 2024 Survey Report to get a sense of the insights it provides.

If you have not yet participated, there is still time. Your input helps strengthen this annual benchmark and gives the industry a clearer view of how utilities are responding to new technologies, policy shifts and changing customer demand.