Whatever they come up with, it won't necessarily be an easy sell. Consumers are still reeling from the break-up of the phone company, and the experience has not left them eager for more of the same. And while large commercial and industrial users will welcome complex pricing strategies, the average residential user may not look forward to deciphering complicated rate schedules and figuring out which company to call if a tree limb falls on a power line. But as Enron's Terrie James points out, one of the challenges for competing power companies will be to educate consumers. Already, the relationship between electric providers and their customers is changing.
Power companies know that they have to understand the demographics and psychographics of consumers.