Is the Smart Grid IQ of the Average Consumer Important?

I'm rather sick of the consumer. The consumer is everywhere, in everything. I've been horribly overexposed to this new industry icon. He pops up at every conference I attend, from CIRED in Prague to Autovation in Denver. He's all over press releases, including the one today (9-21) from GE touting a shiny new Website just for him. The consumer has fingers in all smart grid pies, is as visible as Britney Spears making yet another pop comeback.

We talk a lot about this consumer of the future, the one who is going to change the world. But, with today's consumer, there's yet another problem. Apparently, he's just not very bright, despite his popularity. He seems to be rather a dim bulb, to borrow a phrase/industry pun. He may be everywhere, but, as of yet, he's learned nothing at all.

Think about it. What does every utility, every administrator, every smart grid expert and every vendor want to provide to the consumer? An education.

Nearly a hundred years after electrification, the consumer still can't pass the test. He needs more information; he needs new ways to process that information: smart meters, smart thermostats, energy management systems, in-home energy displays. If a trip to any recent power conference is any indication, we're going to solve this dumb consumer issue in one fell swoop, the way Billy Mays could once give you a product to clean any surface, no matter what the stain or taint.

Of course, the taint here is a tad different shade, a bit of a different color. Because, until the smart grid came along and promises of stimulus money and demand response options hit the table, this industry didn't much care about the knowledge level of its consumer. It's not that the consumer wasn't always important to the equation; if you make power, someone needs to have a use for that power. That's a given. But, considering the consumer as an active, informed part of the equation with options to impact and change a utility's plan is new.

So now, as an industry, we're suddenly excited about educating. We're thrilled to be providing all the information that a consumer needs to participate in demand response programs and be a team player. Go team power.

There is a hitch, though. There remains a little snag in this industry-woven tapestry of the smart grid informed consumer of the future destined to save the world. One uncomfortable fact looms during all those educational sessions and talks and examinations, like an invisible little sword of Damocles.

What is that uncomfortable fact? Well, it's just basic human nature. Namely, just because we know things doesn't mean we act on them. Here's a good example. I'm fully aware that dragging my lazy self off the couch and taking a walk is better for me than sitting there through another episode of "Wipeout." Yet, I don't do it very often. And, I'm fully aware that drinking water is better for my body than drinking Dr. Pepper. Yet, I often choose the Pepperificness.

Bottomline: Just because we know stuff doesn't mean we'll change old habits. It's a logical fallacy to think that education equals motivation. We do stuff that's bad for us (and for the environment) all the time. We chose lazy over active constantly. Usually you need to both know the stuff and get a good stiff kick in the pants to bring about any sort of real change. So, while we spend all this time talking about the first step (education), does anyone have a good plan for the second step (motivation)?

I fear if we can't find that kick in the pants, we may have ourselves an expensively educated, overexposed consumer with no real desire to do anything more with demand response than watch his in-home energy mood orb change colors in pretty ways.