EET&D : So what have you been up to?

Shavit : I and my organization have been hard at work developing a framework for Smart Grid customer education to help the energy and utility industry better focus on the importance of customer engagement and define its place in the Smart Grid business case and larger deployment roadmap.

Since this framework is missing right now in the industry, many utilities and stakeholders are approaching the topic in many different ways. It is causing some level of confusion across the industry, particularly as utilities seek validation or cost recovery for their efforts.

EET&D : What is the purpose of standardizing customer education?

Shavit : Despite owning a communications company, I have spent most of my professional career working with engineers and technology companies; specifically network and IT communications professionals. They tend to regard standards as an important way for implementing new technologies, particularly when it comes to technology integration. Standards help different companies and parties talk to each other. They also ensure a level of quality and security, which is often necessary. Sometimes these standards are dictated by government, sometimes by industry and sometimes by companies seeking out new technologies in their RFPs. Standards, or sometimes less rigid frameworks, are meant to keep parties of disparate backgrounds on the same page.

I can’t think of a better reason for rolling out a universal framework for Smart Grid customer education than bridging the communications gap between utilities IT and marketing and customer care departments. Helping to identify needs, requirements and metrics on all sides of the Smart Grid table will inevitably lead to smoother Smart Grid deployments.

EET&D : When you say standards, I think many in our industry cringe. What are people afraid of?

Shavit : I am not sure I would define our education model, published this month, a standard as much as a framework. Although both are ultimately designed to aid in the roll out of Smart Grid communications and programs internally within utilities, and externally between the utility and its multiple stakeholders. It is more of a standardized approach to customer education.

As for the initial negative reaction to standards, utilities may initially shy away from standards, particularly since there are so many influences that guide the technology decision making progress. But, in the case of network security and reliability, utilities are the first to say that there is a level of quality they will not go below, and are the first to accommodate the highest standards in these areas.

EET&D : How do you define model? What are the key components of the Smart Grid Customer Education model?

Shavit : The model is meant to be a framework developed from industry best practices. It is an ‘instructions manual’ that offers utilities a recipe for rolling out Smart Grid customer education that is measurable and easy to discuss both internally and to external stakeholders.

The model is broken down into phases of education that parallel phases of deployment – whether it is AMI deployment or a smart grid related program deployment. The phases include Pre-deployment (Inform customers), Deployment (Educate), Activation of Benefits (Engage), and Program rollouts (Impact Behavior Change). Each phase has its own unique requirements and metrics associated with it. It is the culmination and analysis of the metrics in all four phases that result in hopefully a success story.

EET&D : Have you seen any changes in our industry in regards to customer education?

Shavit : I am excited by the industry’s recent attention to the topic. The work that the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative does is excellent and they have brought a great deal of attention to the topic of customer engagement. Also, each year at our Smart Grid Customer Education Symposium events, we bring the industry together to try and really listen to what the industry is doing and learn from each other.

This increased focus on sharing and collaboration is awesome. The U.S. DOE’s decision to form a working group was a great way to bring utilities together to talk and share in the development of best practice recommendations to the industry.

Since I personally aid in the roll outs of multiple Smart Grid programs, I can tell you I am always on the phone talking to utilities about innovative programs that they can roll out using industry best practices. I always start in a test environment, but often great ideas from other utilities really add value to programs I am working on. Also, regulators and outside stakeholders really appreciate when we talk about how we are implementing a program that has been successful elsewhere.

EET&D : What can we expect from our industry in the coming months?

Shavit : I hope that we will continue to see more increased collaboration and sharing of best practices. I also think we will see regulators and stakeholders spending a bit more time in understanding what to look for in their local utilities. We recently opened an office in Nashville, and I am working with one utility locally that is redefining innovation and openness for me, so I expect we’ll see some great deployments there in the months to come!

EET&D : We can’t thank you enough Juliet for spending some time with us. It’s good to know people and companies like yours realize the absolute importance the Smart Grid will have on the future of the world. Teaching about it in depth by developing a framework for learning impacts not only the corner office, engineering and IT departments, but also the control room and field crews. Operatives and consumers alike will all be beneficiaries of this bold move from your group.