The national roll-out of smart meters is an opportunity to improve consumer information on energy use through the integration of home energy displays with the smart meter technology. This study sought to define a core specification for these real-time energy displays, derived from a qualitative investigation of consumer experience of the electricity displays currently available on the market.

Most domestic energy use, most of the time, is invisible to the user. Most people have only a vague idea of how much energy they are using for different purposes and what sort of difference they could make by changing day-to-day behaviour or investing in efficiency measures. Hence the importance of feedback in making energy more visible and more amenable to understanding and control.

This study aims to extend the understanding of energy management behaviour by focusing on how two commercial energy meters are used and adopted in domestic residential settings. Following the usage of home energy meters by six families in a major city in the United Kingdom, we investigate what information is important for the assessment of energy usage at home, how do information interfaces affect people’s behaviour, the main motivations for regulating energy usage, and the emerging practices when using energy meters.