Stakeholder Spotlight: Darren Hanway

In this episode of Stakeholder Spotlight, host Courtney Blore sits down with Darren Hanway, a leader at Southern California Gas Company with over two decades of experience shaping California's energy efficiency landscape. Darren's career started unexpectedly in 2001, opening rebate applications during California's energy crisis. That summer job turned into twenty years of learning from the people who built Edison's customer-first approach to efficiency. Now leading a team of over 100 at SoCalGas, Darren has helped make the utility one of only three in the country to win the Energy Star Partner of the Year award—all while achieving over 130% of their goals and becoming the most cost-effective utility in the state. But what really drives Darren? His belief that energy efficiency is a customer service business first—not a math problem, not a regulatory exercise, but something built for people. He's an eternal optimist who thinks we've overcomplicated this work and that getting back to basics matters more than playing it safe. This conversation explores leadership, innovation, and what it really takes to keep customers at the center of energy efficiency work. Guest: Darren Hanway, Southern California Gas Company Host: Courtney Blore, SJVCEO