The transition into the future electricity system builds upon the inclusion of more intermittent energy sources in the grid, requiring electricity consumption to adapt to production. Households are pointed out as playing an important role, carrying a potential for being flexible in that their electricity use may be adapted to the supply of the grid. This contribution focuses on how expectations on households from industry and agencies align with reality of everyday life. We explore the relation between expectations and reality through the concepts of activity and awareness, frequently mentioned by stakeholders, and what the concepts imply for households’ participation. Results from three separate studies are highlighted: 1) Document analysis of stakeholder expectations on households; 2) Interviews with stakeholders; 3) Interviews with 16 households with a new smart meter. 

Results from study 1 and 2 show that stakeholders envisage households to become more active and flexible in their electricity use. However, what this entails is only vaguely expressed. Stakeholders may intend activity to mean time-shifting electricity usage, and that this would be attained if households had detailed information about their electricity consumption. Still, it remains unclear whether the activity of households denotes households temporally, and manually, shifting their chores or whether technology would mediate the shift. In the latter case, technology would serve as a flexibility mediator, possibly through automation. Home equipment, e.g. heat pumps, would be controlled without households’ active participation. Concurrently, grid operators signal passivity of households as a benefit – households don’t need to bother as the operator promises to take care of everything. Nevertheless, results from study 1 and 2 show that although automated control of household equipment may lessen the burden of manual time-shifting electricity usage, there is a consensus that households need to be made aware of their electricity use through feedback enabled by a smart meter and mobile apps. Stakeholders indicate an ambivalence in what to expect from households – manual shifting of activities, automation generating the shift, or awareness through feedback on electricity use? Some stakeholders hold that awareness is enough – whereas others hold that awareness only is a means towards an end of time shifting action. 

Study 3 shows that some of the interviewed households are indeed active and aware but not in the way that stakeholders envisage them to be, and regardless of their technical interest or energy awareness. For example, some households were active in monitoring their electricity meter to check the accuracy of the electricity bill. They wanted feedback, albeit more nuanced than how stakeholders imagine, e.g., on appliance level and feedback explaining increase in consumption. Some engaged in time shifting by manually unplugging appliances and running the washing machine during night. Some also expressed thoughts on being active in the way that stakeholders imagine: “But [operator] cannot load nor empty my washing machine”, indicating that there is more to load balancing than turning on an appliance. However, study 3 mainly highlight the heterogeneity between and within households. Households are active regarding the focus of everyday practices, in which electricity consumption is viewed as a means towards this focus rather than an end. They differ regarding their motivations, use of technology, everyday context, their knowledge, and energy use. 

To conclude, our studies point to a gap between how stakeholders view the role of householders in the energy system and the reality of the daily context of householders. To bridge this gap, heterogeneity of householders needs to be addressed. This plays a central part in pursuing democratic values, allowing for citizens to participate on equal terms in a sustainable future grid.