FERC vs NERC: A grid control showdown over cyber security

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WWW.INTELLIGENTUTILITY.COM /// JULY/AUGUST 2011
38
A new attitude
toward energy
consumption?
+ + Deloitte study suggests new customer diligence
By Christopher Perdue
AS UTILITIES LOOK FOR WAYS TO ENGAGE THEIR CUSTOMERS
with new products and services, a new study from Deloitte suggests they
may find an eager audience. The study, “reSources 2011,” conducted by Deloitte,
polled 3,200 household decision makers and more than 400 business decision
makers responsible for their company’s energy decisions or energy policy.
Let’s take a look at some of the results of the study, and their implications
for utilities.
The study from Deloitte suggests the emergence of a diligent new attitude
toward energy consumption in the United States. According to the study,
52 percent of companies are working to lower their energy costs by 25 percent
on average over the next two to three years, and 68 percent of consumers are
taking extra steps to cut their electric bills because of the recession.
Profound grassroots movement emerging
The results of the study show American businesses and consumers are in the
midst of “the birth of the resourceful energy user,” said Greg Aliff, vice chairman
and U.S. energy & resources leader, Deloitte LLP. “We are seeing a profound and,
in many ways, grassroots movement toward energy conscientiousness among
businesses and consumers.”
In addition to the almost 70 percent of consumers who said they reduced
their electricity bills during the recession, 95 percent said they do not intend
to increase their electricity use even
as the economy improves.
Energy management
goals set by businesses
Energy use at businesses also appears
to be receiving renewed attention.
Ninety percent of the companies
polled for the study were setting
specific goals regarding electricity and
energy management practices, and
nearly three-quarters of businesses
now have goals related to reducing
electricity cost and consumption
and improving the efficiency of the
buildings in which they operate.
Furthermore, slightly more than half
of companies have goals aimed at improving
profitability through electricity
reduction and nearly one-third of
companies have goals to self-generate
electricity through measures like
installing solar panels.
With utilities increasingly seeking
to engage their customers with new
products and services, the results of
the study should be encouraging. And
the proliferation of smart grid investments
will provide a means to deliver
and display consumption data directly
to the customer.
More energy use
knowledge needed
The news from Deloitte is encouraging,
but I must admit to being a
bit skeptical of some of the results.
While 68 percent of consumers in the
Deloitte study claim they are taking
extra steps to cut their electric bills
because of the recession, the reality is
that annual residential kWh sales in
the U.S. for 2010 were the highest on
record according to the latest Electric
Power Monthly report from the
Energy Information Administration.
This represents growth of more than
6.3 percent from 2009.
This discrepancy is telling, and
could speak to the lack of knowledge
that utility customers have about
their energy use.