A new study published in Nature Energy found that electricity customers often lack awareness of their daily energy-use patterns at home, which could have a serious financial impact as utility companies move toward time-of-use energy pricing models.

If utilities change their pricing structures, consumers need to understand how and when they’re using electricity so they can make informed decisions about billing choices, the study’s authors say.

“Energy systems and the grid are undergoing drastic changes right now, and we need to update the way we talk to people about their energy use,” said study co-author Hilary Boudet, an associate professor of sociology and public policy in Oregon State University’s College of Liberal Arts. “From this work, it seems that people are not aware that when you use energy may be just as important as how much energy you use.”

Incorporating renewable energy sources into the electricity system means the timing of electricity generation often conflicts with the timing of consumers’ energy use, Boudet explained. This mismatch causes problems for the electrical grid because options for storing electricity are limited, so utilities are moving toward rate plans that charge higher prices during peak hours.

The study, conducted by researchers from OSU and Stanford University, analyzed energy-usage patterns from 186 California residents who granted access to their households’ smart meter data, which tracks hourly variation as well as overall energy use. Study participants also completed questionnaires about what they believed their daily energy-use patterns looked like, which researchers then compared to their households’ actual energ