Watch out! The SmartGrid/SmartMeter backlash wave is gaining strength with each passing week. The questions is, what do you get when you combine the bad economy, a debt crisis, rate increases of new meter installation and infrastructure upgrades that happen to be connected to billing/usage increases (whether perceived or real), surcharge increases, fuel cost increases, data privacy concerns, widespread corporate mistrust, lawsuits, and then add an very hungry and polarizing mainstream media, the blogosphere and digital social networks? The answer: A problem. In many ways, it is a perfect storm.
In the past week alone, I spoke with five major utilities in various phases of their deployments and they were all starting to feel the heat from SmartMeter/Grid controversies in other parts of the county. It is a rude awakening to the new, inter-connected world. Customers in the Northwest that were previously on-board with SmartMeters are suddenly asking questions based on events in the Southeast. The Bakersfield, CA lawsuit against PG&E is garnering national attention and coalescing resistance against these initiatives in other parts of the country.
I covered the SmartMeter communications trends and some of the critical shifts I've seen just in the past few months. The number one take away is to be flexible and be proactive, as this storm is only starting to form. Many of my clients are shifting to specific and more focused messages that address specific concerns their customers have locally and even nationally. There are certainly external factors that could stop this story's momentum, but I wouldn't count on it. I suspect we will see more legal action, and thus more negative attention, in the coming months and year. Even if the backlash hasn't reached you yet, I would start preparing and planning for when it does.
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