Master the industry-specific CRM trusted by utilities worldwide - now in the Agentforce era - with Shivanya persona-based data model walkthrough
This article has been refreshed with the latest information, including the Spring '26 Agentforce product renaming, current editions and pricing, the IDC MarketScape 2026 recognition, and Summer '26 release highlights. Originally published January 2026.
According to Salesforce's official product page, Energy & Utilities Cloud is the best of Salesforce CRM designed specifically for the energy and utility industry. It gives utilities prebuilt applications with user experiences, automation, and integration designed based on industry best practices.
With the Spring '26 release, Salesforce renamed several core products as part of its Agentforce 360 branding: Sales Cloud became Agentforce Sales, Service Cloud became Agentforce Service, and Salesforce Field Service became Agentforce Field Service. Some listings now brand this product as "Agentforce Energy & Utilities", although Salesforce's own product page still titles it Energy & Utilities Cloud. This guide uses both the classic and current names where each applies.
The platform serves a diverse range of energy sector organizations:
The energy and utilities industry faces unique challenges that generic CRM platforms cannot address effectively. The Salesforce Help documentation explains that Energy & Utilities Cloud provides utility companies and energy retailers with industry-specific capabilities that enable them to deliver outstanding new customer experiences while increasing operational efficiency.
According to Cognitive Market Research, the global digital utility market size is USD 195.5 billion (2024 base year) and will expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.5% from 2024 to 2031. This growth is driven by:
Salesforce Energy & Utilities Cloud traces its origins to Vlocity, a company founded in 2014 to build industry-specific CRM solutions natively on the Salesforce platform. In February 2020, Salesforce announced a $1.33 billion acquisition of Vlocity, which closed on June 1, 2020, and formed the foundation of Salesforce Industries. The acquisition brought key technologies including OmniStudio (low-code guided experiences), Industries CPQ (complex product quoting), and pre-built industry data models. Under the leadership of David Schmaier as CEO of the new Salesforce Industries division, the platform has continued to evolve—earning recognition as a leader in the 2021 IDC MarketScape for Utilities CX Management, launching Clean Energy Program Management in 2023, and integrating Agentforce AI capabilities in 2025. That momentum has continued into the Agentforce era: in 2026, Salesforce was named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide AI-Enabled Utility Customer Experience Management Solutions 2026 assessment, and the Spring '26 release brought the Agentforce product renaming across Sales, Service, and Field Service.
Energy & Utilities Cloud provides a comprehensive set of capabilities designed to address the full customer lifecycle for utility companies. Here's a detailed breakdown of the platform's core features:
According to the official Salesforce documentation, the platform empowers agents with smart, intuitive tools to get up to speed quickly and have full customer insight and next best actions at their fingertips.
The platform includes specialized quoting and pricing capabilities for energy products:
Utilities need to respond quickly to service disruptions. Energy & Utilities Cloud includes incident management capabilities built directly into the platform:
According to the Salesforce Clean Energy announcement, the platform helps utilities manage energy efficiency, conservation, electrification, and EV charging programs:
| Program Type | Description | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency | Rebates and incentives for energy-saving upgrades | Eligibility verification, rebate processing, savings tracking |
| Demand Response | Programs to reduce peak demand | Event management, customer enrollment, performance measurement |
| Solar & Distributed Energy | Rooftop solar and battery storage programs | Interconnection applications, net metering, generation tracking |
| EV Charging | Electric vehicle infrastructure programs | Charger registration, rate design, load management |
| Electrification | Heat pump and appliance upgrade programs | Contractor networks, installation tracking, incentive management |
Energy & Utilities Cloud integrates seamlessly with Salesforce Field Service (renamed Agentforce Field Service as of Spring '26) to optimize field operations:
Understanding the Energy & Utilities Cloud data model is essential for Salesforce Architects. Let's walk through a real-world example to understand how customer data flows through the system. We'll follow Shivanya, a residential customer who owns a home and a vacation property, to see how the E&U data model stores her information.
Shivanya lives in San Francisco and owns a vacation cabin in Lake Tahoe. She has electricity and gas service at both locations, plus water service at her primary home. Here's how her data is organized:
| Object | What It Stores | Shivanya's Example Data |
|---|---|---|
| Consumer Account | Customer identity, contact info, communication preferences | Name: "Shivanya Zaa", Email: jitendra@email.com, Phone: (415) 555-1234, Preferred Contact: Email, Language: English |
| Premise | Physical address where utility service is delivered | Premise 1: 123 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94105 Premise 2: 456 Pine Road, Lake Tahoe, CA 96150 |
| Service Account | Active services at a specific premise, links customer to location | SA-001: Shivanya's San Francisco Services SA-002: Shivanya's Lake Tahoe Services |
| Service Point | Physical connection point for each utility type (electricity, gas, water) | SF Home: SP-ELEC-001, SP-GAS-001, SP-WATER-001 Tahoe Cabin: SP-ELEC-002, SP-GAS-002 |
| Meter | Physical device that measures consumption | Electric Meter #E12345 (SF), Gas Meter #G67890 (SF), Smart Meter #SM11111 (Tahoe) |
| Billing Account | Payment method, billing address, billing cycle | Billing Address: 123 Market St, Payment: Visa ending 4242, Cycle: 15th of month, Autopay: Yes |
Objects such as Consumer Account, Premise, Service Account, and Meter come from the Energy & Utilities Cloud managed-package data model described in the Salesforce Help data model article. The newer Customer 360 for Energy & Utilities on core, shown in the diagram below from Salesforce documentation, models the same concepts with core platform objects: Account, Contact, Billing Account, Contract, Energy Service Agreement (and Energy Service Agreement Item), Service Point, Location, Address, and Balance Adjustment Request.
Let's see how different customer scenarios map to these objects:
| Scenario | Objects Involved | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| Shivanya calls to report a gas leak | Consumer Account → Service Account → Premise → Service Point (Gas) | Agent identifies Shivanya, sees both properties, Shivanya confirms it's the SF home, system locates gas service point SP-GAS-001 and dispatches emergency crew |
| Shivanya wants to add solar panels | Consumer Account → Premise → Service Point (Electric) → New Asset | Agent creates a new Asset record for solar installation linked to SP-ELEC-001, updates meter to bidirectional for net metering |
| Shivanya disputes her Lake Tahoe bill | Billing Account → Service Account (SA-002) → Meter Readings | Agent pulls meter readings for Tahoe property, compares usage patterns, creates Balance Adjustment Request if warranted |
| Shivanya sells her SF home | Service Account (SA-001) → Premise | Service Account SA-001 is closed, Premise remains (new owner will get new Service Account), Shivanya's Consumer Account stays active for Tahoe property |
| Shivanya signs up for budget billing | Billing Account → Energy Service Agreement | New Energy Service Agreement created with "Budget Billing" plan, linked to Shivanya's Billing Account, spreads annual cost into equal monthly payments |
Now imagine Shivanya also owns a small coffee shop. Commercial customers use a Business Account instead of Consumer Account:
| Object | Shivanya's Coffee Shop Data |
|---|---|
| Business Account | Company: "Shivanya's Coffee LLC", Industry: Restaurant/Cafe, Tax ID: XX-XXXXXXX |
| Contact | Shivanya Zaa (Owner), Maria Garcia (Manager - authorized for billing inquiries) |
| Premise | 789 Coffee Lane, San Francisco, CA 94107 |
| Service Points | SP-ELEC-BIZ-001 (3-phase commercial electric), SP-GAS-BIZ-001 (commercial gas for cooking) |
| Billing Account | Business checking account, Net-30 terms, separate from personal billing |
Beyond the core Customer 360 model, Energy & Utilities Cloud provides specialized data models for specific business functions:
The Clean Energy data model extends E&U Cloud to support renewable energy programs, energy efficiency initiatives, and distributed energy resources (DER) management:
Example: Shivanya Enrolls in Clean Energy Programs
Shivanya decides to go green at her San Francisco home. Here's how the Clean Energy data model tracks her participation:
| Object | What It Stores | Shivanya's Example Data |
|---|---|---|
| Program | Utility-sponsored clean energy initiative | "Residential Solar Rebate Program", "EV Charger Installation Incentive", "Home Energy Audit Program" |
| Program Enrollment | Customer's participation in a program | Shivanya enrolled in Solar Rebate, Status: Approved, Rebate Amount: $2,500 |
| Rebate | Financial incentive details | Rebate #RB-78901, Type: Solar Installation, Amount: $2,500, Payment Status: Pending |
| Energy Efficiency Asset | Installed equipment or improvement | Asset: 8.5kW Solar Panel System, Manufacturer: SunPower, Install Date: Recent |
| DER (Distributed Energy Resource) | Customer-owned generation or storage | DER Type: Solar PV, Capacity: 8.5kW, Net Metering: Yes, Annual Generation: ~12,000 kWh |
The Contractor Portal model enables utilities to manage their network of certified contractors and partner companies for installations, repairs, and maintenance:
Example: Contractor Installs Shivanya's Solar Panels
When Shivanya's solar installation is approved, the utility assigns a certified contractor. Here's how the Contractor Portal tracks the work:
| Object | What It Stores | Example Data for Shivanya's Installation |
|---|---|---|
| Account | Contractor company enrolled in the utility's network | Company: "Bay Area Solar Pros", utility-approved solar installer, active since 2019 |
| Contact | People working for the contractor | Priya Sharma (Owner), lead installer on Shivanya's project |
| Business License | Contractor licensing credentials | License #CA-SOL-12345, Type: C-46 Solar, Status: Active |
| Application Form Template | Reusable template that defines a program application | "Residential Solar Contractor Application" template with required documents |
| Individual Application | A specific application submitted through the portal | Bay Area Solar Pros' application to install under the Solar Rebate Program, Status: Approved |
| Program / Program Enrollment | Clean energy program and the customer's participation in it | "Residential Solar Rebate Program"; Shivanya's enrollment, Status: Approved |
| Work Report | Completed work submitted by the contractor for review | WR-00456: 8.5kW solar installation at 123 Market St, Status: Submitted |
| Work Report Line Item | Individual tasks and materials on the work report | Line 1: Panel Installation (8.5kW), Line 2: Inverter Setup, Line 3: Permit & Inspection |
OmniStudio and Industries CPQ are foundational technologies that came to Salesforce through the Vlocity acquisition. They provide low-code tools for building industry-specific experiences and complex product configurations.
According to the Salesforce Industries documentation, OmniStudio (styled "Omnistudio" in current Salesforce documentation) includes the full package of low-code tools:
| Component | Description | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| OmniScript | Guided, step-by-step experiences for users | Service enrollment, move-in/move-out flows |
| FlexCards | Dynamic, data-driven UI components | Customer 360 views, billing summaries |
| Data Mapper | Transform data between systems | CIS integration, meter data normalization |
| Integration Procedures | Server-side integrations and orchestration | Real-time billing lookups, payment processing |
| Calculation Procedures | Complex business logic and calculations | Rate calculations, rebate eligibility |
Industries CPQ is specifically designed for the complexity of utility products and pricing. According to Salesforce Trailhead, OmniStudio tools support customization, integration, and automation of Industries CPQ, including guided selling flows and call scripts for sales agents.
Key Industries CPQ features for utilities include:
Salesforce's 2025 strategy centers on Agentforce, the platform for deploying autonomous AI agents across the enterprise. According to the Agentforce for Energy & Utilities page, this solution is designed to improve operational efficiency, boost customer satisfaction, and optimize employee experience for energy and utilities organizations.
Agentforce Energy & Utilities is an agentic AI solution deeply integrated with your energy and utility data, metadata, and knowledge base. The platform combines several AI technologies:
Agentforce can be applied across multiple utility functions:
| Function | AI Application | Business Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Service | Handle inquiries, provide usage insights, offer energy-saving tips | Reduced call center volume, improved satisfaction |
| Grid Operations | Real-time grid monitoring and control, demand forecasting | Prevent outages, optimize supply/demand |
| Predictive Maintenance | Predict equipment failures, schedule proactive repairs | Reduced downtime, lower maintenance costs |
| Renewable Management | Optimize energy storage, implement dynamic pricing | Better integration of distributed resources |
| Field Service | Route optimization, job recommendations, parts prediction | Faster resolution, fewer truck rolls |
At the core of Agentforce is the Atlas Reasoning Engine, which employs multiple LLMs and specialized modules to enhance reasoning capabilities. According to Salesforce's documentation, it utilizes techniques such as RAG to access and integrate relevant data and metadata, allowing agents to make informed decisions based on comprehensive context.
According to Salesforce's 2025 recap, several key developments have shaped the Agentforce platform:
Businesses can build agents using Agent Builder with existing Salesforce Platform tools:
Salesforce Energy & Utilities Cloud has been deployed by major energy companies worldwide. Here are detailed case studies demonstrating real-world impact.
According to Salesforce's official case study, ENGIE has been a Salesforce customer since 2010. In 2016, the French energy company decided to eliminate business processes that weren't sustainable in a zero-carbon world.
Marc Lallemand, CIO of ENGIE Belgium, stated: "To aid the global energy transition to zero carbon and help our B2B and B2C customers better manage energy efficiency and achieve more value, Engie invested in digital technologies like Salesforce Energy and Utilities Cloud to go digital faster."
The implementation included:
Recent development: ENGIE's journey has continued into the agentic era. Salesforce now features an ENGIE Agentforce customer story, with AI agents giving customers instant answers to their questions alongside the classic Customer 360 transformation.
According to Computer Weekly (as covered in 2019), British Gas has used the Vlocity Energy & Utilities Cloud service (now Salesforce Industries) to power its digital transformation journey across sales, marketing, and customer care organizations.
Rory Briggs, Product Owner and Commercial Manager at British Gas, noted: "We have been able to put the customer at the center of every business decision and we've maintained our market position in an increasingly competitive market."
British Gas made a strategic decision to upgrade its operating model to offer highly personalized energy offerings that combine commodity and non-commodity products.
Salesforce reports that British multinational energy provider Centrica Business Solutions went live with Salesforce Energy & Utilities Cloud in just three months, demonstrating the platform's rapid deployment capability for organizations ready to transform.
Salesforce reports that Texas-based Vistra Corp used Salesforce Energy and Utilities Cloud to roll out a cross-channel, 360-view of the customer. This enabled call center agents to ensure utility customer satisfaction with every interaction by having complete visibility into customer history, preferences, and account status.
Implementing Energy & Utilities Cloud requires careful planning and a phased approach. Based on industry experience and successful deployments, here are best practices for Salesforce Admins and Architects.
Key design decisions for Energy & Utilities Cloud implementation:
| Design Area | Considerations | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|
| Data Model | Leverage standard objects vs. custom | Use E&U Cloud objects; extend only when necessary |
| Integration Pattern | Real-time billing lookups vs. batch sync | Real-time for customer-facing; batch for analytics |
| OmniStudio vs. Flows | When to use OmniScript vs. Screen Flow | OmniScript for complex guided experiences |
| CPQ Approach | Industries CPQ vs. Salesforce CPQ | Industries CPQ for utility-specific pricing |
According to the Energy & Utilities Cloud Integration documentation, the platform supports various third-party integrations:
According to the official Salesforce pricing page, Energy & Utilities Cloud is available in Enterprise and Unlimited editions, with an Agentforce for Energy & Utilities tier for agentic AI. Prices below are as of August 2026, per Salesforce's published pricing; contact Salesforce for quotes.
| Edition | Price (per user/month)* | Key Inclusions |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise — Service | $500 | Agentforce Service (Service Cloud) capabilities with the E&U industry data model, OmniStudio, and Industries CPQ |
| Enterprise — Sales | $575 | Agentforce Sales (Sales Cloud) capabilities with industry-specific quoting and data model |
| Enterprise — Sales + Service | $600 | Combined sales and service capabilities on a single E&U platform |
| Unlimited | Contact Salesforce | Expanded platform limits, premier success resources, and full E&U capabilities |
| Agentforce for Energy & Utilities | $700 | Agentic AI for E&U: autonomous agents grounded in your utility data, metadata, and knowledge base |
*Prices as of August 2026, per Salesforce's published pricing; contact Salesforce for quotes tailored to your organization.
All editions include core Energy & Utilities Cloud components:
| Add-On | Purpose | When to Include |
|---|---|---|
| Agentforce Field Service | Mobile workforce management | Field technician scheduling and dispatch |
| Experience Cloud | Customer portals and communities | Self-service account management |
| MuleSoft | Enterprise integration platform | Complex CIS and billing integrations |
| Data Cloud | Customer data platform | Advanced segmentation and personalization |
| Agentforce | AI agents | Automated customer service and operations |
The energy and utilities industry is undergoing rapid transformation, and Salesforce is continuously evolving Energy & Utilities Cloud to meet emerging challenges.
According to research from the IBM Institute for Business Value on energy, environment, and utilities, utilities face several key challenges:
| Focus Area | Current Capabilities | Future Direction |
|---|---|---|
| AI & Automation | Agentforce for E&U with predictive analytics | Fully autonomous agents for complex operations |
| Clean Energy | Program management for EV, solar, efficiency | Deeper integration with grid management systems |
| Customer Experience | Omnichannel service with AI chat | Proactive engagement and personalized recommendations |
| Data & Analytics | Data Cloud integration | Real-time usage analytics and grid optimization |
The current Summer '26 release continues to deepen the platform's agentic and field capabilities. Highlights for Energy & Utilities teams include:
According to IBM's renewable energy trends analysis, several technology trends are shaping the utility industry:
As utilities increasingly adopt AI-powered platforms like Salesforce Energy & Utilities Cloud, the role of artificial intelligence in emergency preparedness and grid resilience becomes critically important. The integration of AI across utility operations is transforming how energy companies prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies.
In a recent analysis, IBM explores how AI and watsonx technology are helping energy companies improve emergency preparedness. According to IBM's product blog on AI emergency preparedness, advanced AI capabilities are essential for modern utility operations.
When Salesforce Energy & Utilities Cloud is combined with advanced AI technologies, utilities gain a comprehensive platform that addresses both customer engagement and operational resilience:
| Capability | E&U Cloud Function | AI Enhancement |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Outreach | OmniChannel service, case management | Predictive outage notifications, personalized messaging |
| Field Operations | Field Service dispatching | Optimized routing, crew allocation, priority scoring |
| Demand Response | Program enrollment, customer 360 | Load forecasting, automated demand reduction signals |
| Critical Facility Support | Account segmentation, priority service | Life-support customer identification, priority restoration |
The combination of customer relationship management from Salesforce and operational intelligence from AI creates a foundation for utilities to build resilient, customer-centric operations that can withstand and quickly recover from extreme weather events and grid emergencies.
Salesforce Energy & Utilities Cloud is an industry-specific CRM platform built on Salesforce that provides utility companies and energy retailers with prebuilt applications, automation, and integrations designed for energy industry best practices. It combines Sales Cloud and Service Cloud capabilities (rebranded Agentforce Sales and Agentforce Service in Spring '26) with a comprehensive industry-specific data model, enabling utilities to manage customer service, billing, field operations, and clean energy programs on a single platform.
Salesforce Energy & Utilities Cloud is offered in Enterprise and Unlimited editions. As of August 2026, per Salesforce's published pricing, Enterprise starts at $500/user/month for Service, $575/user/month for Sales, and $600/user/month for Sales and Service combined, while Agentforce for Energy & Utilities is $700/user/month. Unlimited edition pricing is quote-based. Each edition includes core E&U Cloud features like Industries CPQ and OmniStudio, and add-ons such as Field Service, Experience Cloud, and Data Cloud require separate licensing. Contact Salesforce for a quote tailored to your organization.
Vlocity was acquired by Salesforce for $1.33 billion in a deal announced in February 2020 that closed on June 1, 2020, and was rebranded as Salesforce Industries. Vlocity's Energy & Utilities solution became Salesforce Energy & Utilities Cloud. The core technology, including OmniStudio, Industries CPQ, and the industry data model, remained the same but is now fully integrated into the Salesforce platform. Existing Vlocity customers were migrated to Salesforce Industries with continued support and enhancements.
Agentforce for Energy & Utilities is Salesforce's AI-powered solution that combines autonomous AI agents with the Energy & Utilities Cloud platform, offered at $700/user/month as of August 2026 per Salesforce's published pricing. It provides predictive analytics, automated customer service, real-time grid monitoring, and personalized energy-saving recommendations using generative AI technology. Built on the Atlas Reasoning Engine, Agentforce can handle customer inquiries, predict equipment failures, optimize field service routes, and manage demand response programs autonomously.
Major energy companies using Salesforce Energy & Utilities Cloud include ENGIE (global energy leader with operations in 70+ countries), British Gas (one of the UK's largest energy suppliers), Vistra Corp (Texas-based utility), and Centrica Business Solutions. Per the 2021 IDC MarketScape assessment, more than 500 utilities worldwide use Salesforce for customer management, and in 2026 Salesforce was named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape for AI-Enabled Utility Customer Experience Management Solutions. These organizations leverage the platform for customer service transformation, field operations optimization, billing integration, and clean energy program management.
Reference guide for technical terms and abbreviations used throughout this article.