Insights from our Editorial Team

The purpose of the new report is to define the system requirements for an open standard HAN system and to supply the vendor community with a common set of principles and requirements around which to create products and ensure reliable and sustainable HAN platforms.

An Intelligent Utility Reality Webcast yesterday examined the topic of "communicating smart meter value," as that topic has consistently proven to be at least as important as the technical aspects of meter rollouts. One presenter, from Austin Energy, described the "anatomy of a successful smart meter rollout" as that utility has installed 400,000 meters with few hitches. The key appears to be aggressive outreach and education about utility-side benefits. Though Austin Energy had its share of complaints, the utility had a team and process in place to listen and deal thoughtfully with them to produce a resolution. Austin is now moving to another phase: communicating the consumer value of smart meters and piloting those value propositions.

Many observers have bemoaned the apparent lack of consumer representation in the smart grid equation, despite efforts from several quarters. With smart meter complaints in Texas and California over the past year and high-profile regulatory insistence on consumer benefits by the Maryland Public Service Commission this past summer, however, consumer protections and benefits have gotten more attention. One Intelligent Utility reader raised the issue anew, prompting a look at seven principles for consumer protections and benefits articulated by the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates (NASUCA) and four other organizations. 

With meter accuracy questioned, and established by third-party testing, in Texas and California, the industry's focus might well return to closing the gap between meter installation and tangible consumer benefits. The gap creates a vacuum for critics to discount the value propositions that proponents can only promise, and it has figured in regulatory hearings this summer. One industry thought leader says that silos at utilities mean that meter installation is not well-timed to coincide with IT and communication network upgrades, thus the delay in consumer benefits. The situation is urgent and represents the industry's Achilles heel. Do you agree?