Electricity used to be a given. We turned it on when needed and did not concern ourselves much with the price. Today, there is growing talk of the "active consumer" who monitors prices and adjusts their behavior accordingly. When electricity is expensive, they save. When it is cheap, they take advantage of it and increase their demand. The question, however, is whether this is realistic for most households or only for a marginal segment of society.

Price variability is not a whim

Fluctuations in electricity prices are neither a fabrication nor a punishment for customers. They are a natural consequence of market operations in an environment of limited capacity, similar to seasonal food products. In the case of electricity, however, an even more apt comparison is transport. Driving through the city during the morning rush hour has its price. It costs you more time, nerves, and the risk of delay. Roads have limited capacity, and if everyone sets out at once, the situation worsens for everyone.

It is similar with electricity. Both the electrical grid and power plants have their limits. Furthermore, electricity cannot be stored cheaply on a large scale. When the wind blows and the sun shines, there may be a surplus of electricity and the price drops. Conversely, on a freezing evening when people are heating and lighting their homes while the wind is not blowing, every additional kilowatt-hour is more demanding to produce and therefore more expensive.

Black Friday vs. the grocery store before closing: how people actually react to price changes

We still often assume that when people see changing prices, they will automatically start behaving "economically correctly." That is, they will adapt their behavior to save money. The reality, however, is more complex.

Black Friday is a typical situation where people react very willingly to price changes. During this period, retailers offer significant discounts, often in the tens of percent. The savings are clearly visible and, moreover, it is a one-time "now or never" decision. The result? Many people change the timing of their purchase and react exactly as retailers expect.

The second example is the opposite. In supermarkets, food is often discounted before closing time. The logic is clear—wait for the discounts before purchasing. In practice, however, it is more complicated. This time it is not a one-time decision; it is a change that a person would have to make repeatedly, adjusting their schedule accordingly for the savings to be noticeable.

People therefore react much more strongly to large, visible, and one-time savings than to small, regular, and subtle price signals.

And now electricity: who will really be "active"?

The idea that people will start shifting their electricity consumption en masse and voluntarily based on hourly prices sounds logical on paper. In practice, however, it is similar to expecting most people to go for discounted pastries just before closing every day. Yes, some will do it. But most will not.

For an average household, convenience and an established routine often have greater value than minor savings. Furthermore, the long-term trend in society is moving in the opposite direction. People commonly pay extra for comfort—for food delivery to their door, for faster services, for worry-free subscriptions. This does not mean that the idea of the active consumer makes no sense. However, as a universal model for most households, it is a rather unlikely scenario.

Where to find flexibility without having to change human habits

If the energy sector is to gain greater flexibility, it cannot rely on people monitoring electricity prices every day and adjusting their routines accordingly. That is simply not realistic. A much more meaningful path lies in automation. It is enough for a person to set what they need once—for example, that they want their car charged in the morning or that there should be enough hot water in the evening. And then everything runs by itself. Technology selects the appropriate time when electricity is cheaper and takes care of the rest.

Charging an electric vehicle, heating water, or the operation of a home battery can take place "in the background." The household functions just as before, only a bit smarter. At the same time, the user has the option to intervene and adjust settings at any time.

Flexibility should not be an additional obligation. It should be a service that works quietly and reliably. Only then can the benefits of variable prices be utilized.

What this means for the future of the "active consumer"

There is no point in asking whether the active consumer will emerge at all, but rather what they will look like in everyday life.

One possibility is that it will be a voluntary "discipline" for a narrow group of people—those who enjoy monitoring prices, switching appliances, and optimizing every detail. The second possibility is much more practical: activity as a one-time decision. The household chooses a service, sets its comfort boundaries, and the system then manages part of the consumption automatically and inconspicuously in the background.

If the energy sector is to truly rely on active consumers, it must achieve two things simultaneously: set the rules so that flexibility pays off even without daily "micromanagement," and support technologies that can deliver it quietly, safely, and without unnecessary complexity.

Then the active consumer can become a reality. Not because people change fundamentally, but because the services available to them change.

Source: https://tradeoff.drbna.cz/komentare/1893-komentar-setreni-za-energie-neni-o-hlidani-cen-je-o-automatizaci.html?utm_source=copy