How much do you know about your utility meters? Would you know where to look to be able to measure your use? Would you be able to identify a smart meter?

According to a recent survey completed by Chartwell, most utility customers have never even heard of a smart meter and those who have, barely half can identify the correct definition when it is presented to them. Another 10 percent believe it is a device that allows utilities to monitor customer movements inside their homes.

Is George Orwell in the house?

The Smart Grid Survey of 1,500 utility customers from the United States and Canada marks the launch of Chartwell’s Smart Grid Customer Engagement Research Council. This utility-only group focuses on helping utilities to better understand their customers as they implement behind-the-meter smart grid applications.

"Smarter grids will require smarter customers," says Philip I. Dunklin, president of Chartwell Inc., in a statement. "This research council will help utilities collaborate and learn from each other as they work to engage customers for a successful launch of the hundreds of smart grid implementations recently jumpstarted by federal stimulus funds."

To help utilities efficiently reach and educate their customers about their services and associated hardware and products, Chartwell’s Smart Grid Customer Engagement Research Council answers specific questions:

--How much do customers already know about energy and the smart grid?

--What type of energy reducing technologies most appeal to customers?

--What will be biggest obstacles to customers adopting behind-the-meter smart grid technologies?

--How do customers perceive their electric utilities and can greater trust be established?

Going forward with this initiative, Chartwell intends to conduct qualitative and quantitative research. The company’s approach will include targeted customer surveys, focus groups and other end-user interviews. Group members will ultimately direct the research based on their collective needs.

The Council also expects to bring together key utility stakeholders who are involved in smart grid technology selection, customer education, research and marketing. Practices and lessons learned will be shared by group members in an effort to create best practices.

Chartwell has built a solid reputation through the years of covering smart metering and utility marketing programs. The company has kept this focus in place since the evolution of modern smart grid technologies began.

Chartwell issued a report last year that found more utilities are attracting customers to self-service transactions on the Internet by broadening their online services. The study showed that during the last year, utilities have expanded their Web-based menus to customers and include more services such as bill payment, bill presentment, eBill signup, view payment history, view energy usage and bank drafting signup.

Utility companies are also using IVR. According to a 2005 Chartwell report on IVR applications and speech technologies, more than 63 percent of utilities use this technology to handle some types of calls. Upgrading the utility IVR is a trend in the industry and many utilities choose to incorporate speech recognition in their IVR during re-engineering efforts.