Speaking with some friends about the whole concept of transforming the energy utilities into energy service companies, or in fact having new companies acting as energy service companies got me thinking. Is there really a business opportunity for ESCos? A quick look at the wikipedia article shows that those type of companies had boomed in the 70’s, when energy was getting expensive. So of course when everything is going well no one has time to deal with this sort of stuff. But then when the money coming out starts going up and the money coming in starts going down you start thinking again.

So can it really work? You go to a house, you have a big smile on your face and you say Good Evening, I would like to take care of your energy consumption please. I will make sure you get your washing done, your house heated and your lights lit, and you don’t have to worry about your electricity metre. All you have to do is just pay me a bit less than what you already pay now. Oh and don’t forget, you will be helping save the planet. I wonder how many times you would get the door shut in your face. “Honey! Some guy wanted to control our heater and tell us when to wash our clothes” will probably be said straight after.

Changing people to accept energy service companies will require a lot of time and effort. Setting a precedent is also going to b e crucial. People will not believe you because you will be making money out of it, and today anyone will say anything to make more money. So you will rely on word of mouth to push your business around and get more people signed up to your services.

People don’t like change. It’s difficult to change and it’s such a hassle. We have always done it this way, what’s wrong with it now!!!! Why do I have to go through all that. So if you want to really make a difference you have to be a trusted community member, someone who people will actually listen to. If you are not then find someone who is, talk to them and explain to them. If they believe you then you are half way there.

Changing the way people think about energy is not going to be easy, but someone out there has to do it. Good Luck!