Can Social Networks Lead to Energy Efficiency?

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By Marc Marton

We’ve seen once again the power of social media as witnessed by recent events in Egypt. In this instance, Facebook is credited with fomenting a popular uprising that toppled a government.

Social media has obviously grown from its origins as the domain of the mundane, providing millions of people with a platform to share common interests no matter where they are. Facebook got my attention years ago after reading about a college student who raised millions of dollars in a matter of months to aid Darfur by connecting with students at other campuses across the country. Other causes have followed suit and businesses have embraced social media as a way to build relationships with customers.

But other than sharing a bit of personal information among people you know or a common cause with thousands you don’t, what other types of information are we willing to share online?

Reading about Welectricity last week made me think about this issue because matters of privacy tend to creep into smart grid conversations. Similar free services like Earth keyhole

Aid and commercial entities OPower, Silver Springs Networks, Tendril and eMeter, hope to leverage online communities that help users collaboratively reduce energy consumption. There appears to be support for the idea that social networks can get more consumers engaged in energy usage and create a more efficient grid. Indeed, Welectricity gained recognition in GE’s Ecomagination Challenge as “Best Idea for the Millennial.”

Given the current public rumblings over smart meter deployments as a privacy issue, it will be interesting to see if people embrace the idea of sharing electricity usage among neighbors or complete strangers, who would otherwise be suspicious of utilities extracting data from their consumption patterns.

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