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Selling the Smart Grid

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Utilities converting to smart meters must find out how the new technology creates value for their customers, and not just financial value, experts told the Edison Foundation’s Powering the People 2.0 conference in Washington, DC March 22.

Utilities nationwide are wrestling with how to get customers to buy into the potential the new technology offers. Smart meters have met resistance from customers citing privacy worries, claims of health issues from the meters’ communication chips, and charges the devices are a subterfuge to raise electricity prices. Keep reading →

 /  Published March 27, 2012 at 10:00 AM

Inside GridWeek: Smart Grid Needs To Find Its Cool

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Smart grid growth is all about customer acceptance, and the industry could sure use an iMeter.

Those were central themes at this year’s GridWeek conference, which brought 1,000 vendors, regulators, utility officials and lawmakers to Washington, DC from around the US and from overseas Sept. 12-15. Keep reading →

 /  Published September 16, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Electrifying Communication In A New Energy Era

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A world where a single utility operates without competition is a thing of the past. Customers in some markets can now pick from dozens of energy providers or even choose to source electricity from renewables like solar or wind power. They can also decide to abandon “dead-tree-format” billing and receive their invoices via mobile applications on their latest smart phone or tablet device.

What all of this adds up to is a growing consumer expectation of choice and convenience. In this environment, energy companies–in a battle for survival of the fittest–will need to raise their communications game in order to connect with customers where and when they want. Keep reading →

 /  Published August 15, 2011 at 6:00 AM