So when I spoke at this week’s Distributech conference – the show featured a plethora of the latest smart grid and smart meter technologies, including a new smart, heat-pump electric water heater that can talk to your smart meter – the moderator asked us panelists if we had any thoughts on “Bakersfield.”

My answer summed up my presentation.  First the data: over the years, in conducting numerous pilots and watching several others, as well as rollouts, I have observed what look to be “best practices.”  When consumers receive their smart meter, they expect to get more detailed usage information.  Roughly 80 to 90 percent want the data pushed to them – for example as a customer-specific energy usage report mailed to them with their bill or sent via email – and 60 to 70 percent would like the option of going to the utility’s website to see it (though utilities typically see more like 20 percent actually signing up, at least initially).  And about 90 percent of customers who have experienced pricing choices such as time-of-use, critical peak pricing, and peak time rebate would recommend them to friends and family.

So my response was this: experience suggests that a “best practices” utility should be providing online access and perhaps bill inserts shortly after the new meter installation (both can be done for a tiny fraction of what the smart meters cost).   A couple of months later, with consumers now familiar with their data, is a good time to offer one or more dynamic pricing options, perhaps with a smart thermostat for automated response.  Utilities have found all of these to be cost-effective and consumer-friendly.

When consumers get their long-awaited smart meters, they’re expecting a difference.  As an industry, let’s provide it to them.