Houston Chronicle photos

Two recent front-page articles in mainstream city newspapers covered the emergence of smart metering in Texas. I think it’s a good indication that these technologies and devices are nearing the mainstream here.

The Austin American-Statesman covered the installation from the perspective of utility efficiency and demand management. (Austin Energy has a pilot program for consumer meters, too).

The Houston Chronicle reported on smart metering from the consumer perspective, and while there was some fairly incomplete reporting on the costs — a lot about the costs to cover the new technology, and not much about potential savings — there were also a few interesting nods to customer experience in the article. For example,

[Reliant Energy CEO Mark] Jacobs thinks smart meters could change the way Americans use power for the better. The key is an intuitive user interface that doesn’t overwhelm the user, he said.

“It’s incredibly important we get the customer experience right with this,” Jacobs said.

The Statesman also published a smart Associated Press article that covered smart electricity from end-to-end.

It’s interesting to see some of the visual interfaces that the newspapers use to inform these articles. I have a thought that as these images begin to enter the visual vocabulary of the mainstream, the early impressions will shape what consumers will come to expect from these tools. Some of the earliest interactions — say, the ability to program your home to go low-power during the day, from your Blackberry — may also become conventions consumers will come to expect.

Austin American-Stateman photo

Links:
Austin American-Statesman:
Austin Energy installs automated electric meters
Brains for power grids

Houston Chronicle:
Power meters getting smarter

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