Chartwell forms research council for energy firms

The Smart Grid Customer Engagement Research Council, which will include companies from the industry, will conduct qual and quant research through a range of targeted customer interviews, focus groups and other end-user interviews.

Chartwell president Philip Dunklin said: “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 jump-started by federal stimulus funds.”

The council’s first project was the Smart Grid Energy Survey, a study of 1,500 utility customers from the US and Canada, examining topics such as their awareness of ‘smart’ energy meters.