California-based distributed generation technology leader gen110 celebrated the opening of its new office in the town of Petaluma in an unusual way. They went to the streets to find out how little people knew about the business of paying for electricity.

Americans have long enjoyed low-cost, reliable electricity supply, but there are signs that era may be coming to an end as long-delayed upgrades and new strains on the system combine to undermine reliability and boost consumer prices. Jason Brown, gen110’s CEO, is convinced that California is at a tipping point for distributed generation.

Watch the short video above to get a clear sense that while Americans know a lot about their exposure to oil prices as reflected in what they pay at the pump, their awareness of electricity costs, even in a comparatively high-priced market like California, is seriously lagging.

Read more about gen110 and its business model on Breaking Energy here.