Consumers Actually Not Too Keen on "Smart Utility Metering"

Many proposed new services just never seem to get traction with consumers. "Smart utility meters" seem to be running into that issue as well. One of the primary goals of the smart grid movement is to empower consumers with greater control over their use of energy in the home.

There's just one important problem. Up to this point, many customers have been less enthusiastic about smart meters than the utilities originally anticipated, and in fact smart meters have been the subject of significant consumer opposition in some service territories, according to Pike Research.

Meanwhile, utilities and their vendors have struggled to identify the appropriate user experiences and business models for home energy management and smart energy devices.

But a new survey by Pike Research found that 47 percent of consumers would be “extremely” or “very” interested in home energy management products and services that would allow them to monitor and control energy usage in their home.

About 45 percent of survey respondents stated that they would be interested in connected smart appliances that would help them manage their electricity consumption more efficiently.

You just have to square those apparently favorable "opinions" with the demonstrable "actions" that indicate consumers oppose the methods used to enable those features they claim they want.

Some of us might suggest a simple explanation. So far, the emphasis on "smart meters" is on benefit for the utility. There often is an implied benefit for the user in terms of "managing" their own usage, but only after an investment in new appliances.

That means, In many cases, users might not see the actual benefits without major new investments in home technology. Without those investments, the smart meters provide consumption information, but perhaps with spending implications too slight to bother with.

That's not unusual. Supplier "good ideas" do not automatically translate into massive end user adoption. People have to see the value, and the value has to be really significant before they will change their behavior and spend more money.