SmartEnergy IP, a research firm dedicated to smart grid consumer education, says it has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Department of Energy to create the Smart Grid Customer Education Working Group.
The working group will bring stakeholders from the energy and utilities industry together with the common purpose of sharing information and building best practices around smart grid consumer education. The group will comprise investor-owned, municipal and cooperative utilities, as well as solutions providers, research organizations, industry associations, regulators and public advocates.
By evaluating the tools, techniques and programs used by utilities across the U.S. to introduce advanced metering, time-of-use rates, and energy management to its customers, the group will develop a smart grid customer education model that will become a resource for utilities rolling out smart grid programs, the company explains.
“The overall success of smart grid will ultimately depend on whether or not customers take a more proactive role in managing their energy use,” says Juliet Shavit, president of SmartEnergy IP. “Given the need for utilities to effectively communicate the deployment and benefits of advanced metering infrastructure with customers, we look forward to collectively using the knowledge and experience of the Smart Grid Customer Education Working Group to develop industry best practices for smart grid customer education.”
