Energy Literacy: Why We Are Reading At a 3rd Grade Level and What We Can Do About It

On April 21st, leaders in sustainability and tech gathered together for the third annual Green:Net conference in San Francisco. The conference explored issues at the intersection of green and IT, and a central theme that emerged is the need and opportunity to provide consumers with better and more insightful information about energy.
 
David Crane, CEO and President of NRG Energy, commented on the challenge of making energy tangible for consumers. He stated, somewhat in jest, "Consumers can't see, smell, or conceptualize our product, and if they touch it, they die." His point: if we want consumers to be cognizant of their energy use, they must first be able to visualize what a kilowatt actually is.