Once Upon a Time, You Were Encouraged to Consume More Electricity

In the age of energy efficiency, it is hard to fathom companies pushing you to use more energy. That’s the power of art and design in energy with the “Live Better Electrically” Campaign.

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Our ETS Advisory Committee recently voted on the hottest topics to cover at Zpryme’s ETS17 event in March. What topic rose to the top? The coolest new technology? The latest app? An amazing algorithm? Nope. Even with all the technology advancements out there, old-fashioned customer engagement sits at the top.

As we look to what’s next for utilities in this critical area, we think that it’s also important to look back. I’d like to understand how far we’ve come in building the utility-customer relationship and, in the spirit of ETS17’s Design for Energy theme, explore the roles that art and design have played in engaging customers. What can we learn from it today? 

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I live in a 1954 home that was obviously built in an era when energy was not a concern. We’re in Colorado, but single-pane, floor-to-ceiling windows graced much of the house, until our loveable—but sometimes world’s-worst-dog—Gato, flung a bone at one of the windows and sent cracks crawling up an un-tempered death trap.

When we moved in there was nothing over our head other than a tongue-and-groove wood ceiling (no attic) with gaps where the grooves met the walls that connected us directly to the outdoors. The crawlspace was vented with no insulation, and our aluminum window frames were about as good of conductors of heat as you can get.

We bought the home for the architecture, but I have become fascinated with the different energy mindset of the people who built it. I work on upgrading the home because of the “Save the Planet” and “Turn off the Lights” mantras tattooed on my brain from elementary school. But electricity—and the concept of it being extremely cheap or even free—certainly ruled the mindset of our home’s builders. But why? Why was there such a focus on using as much power as we could? Ah, comes the power of customer engagement with utilities and technology companies, just with a different mindset and parameters than what we face today.  

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As I talked about in my first article about the history of customer engagement, organizations had to sell folks on the concept of electricity. (i.e. electric lighting is better than kerosene lamps) But how do you build the reputation of electricity beyond lighting? Today, we have electric milk frothers, but we somehow had to be convinced that electrified appliances like this make sense. This article focuses on how utility and tech industries convinced people to further embrace electricity, and how the power of art, design and marketing influenced consumers at the time. For this discussion, I focus on the efforts of the “Live Better Electrically” campaign from the mid-20th century.

The Motivation to Consume More Electricity

At the time my home was built, utility companies rushed to meet the rising energy demands in post-WWII America. However, as more power plants came on line, the cost of electricity decreased. At the same time, the rise of nuclear power meant that electricity might one day be free—Arco, Idaho, (which I have gone out of my way to visit because I am true energy nerd) in 1947 became the first place in the U.S. to be powered by a nuclear reactor. With loads of cheap power and a desire to increase revenue, utilities and technology companies realized they could encourage homeowners to consume more power through a variety of electric products and services.

And from the customer perspective, not using electricity in your home could be pretty dirty. You’re dumping coal or heating oil into your basement to heat your home. Maybe you’re using a gasoline-powered washing machine. Life without electricity makes me think of this Nissan Leaf ad a while back:

Or the classic Christmas Story scene where The Old Man weaves a tapestry of obscenities that still floats over Lake Michigan as he fixes their coal-fired furnace.

Convincing Customers to “Live Better Electrically”

However, just because there’s a need, it doesn’t mean that people will automatically adopt a new technology—as we see with electricity customers and even utility companies today. You must sell the idea, and get people to believe it and ultimately want to buy it. We talked about Reddy Kilowatt and the rise of rural electric cooperatives to get people to understand the basics of electricity. But now the industries needed customers to go to the next level, and invest in more electrical products.

So along came the “Live Better Electrically” (LBE) program. LBE began in the mid-1950s when GE and Westinghouse decided to co-sponsor a nationwide campaign to promote the benefits of electric appliances and electric power. The campaign was supported by over 900 electric utilities, and used a variety of approaches to communicate the value of electricity, including brass medallions, Ronald Reagan, and a TV show that was at times watched by more people than Gunsmoke.

The Medallion Home Campaign

The "Medallion Homes" campaign launched in 1957 with a goal to sell 20,000 all-electric homes nationwide in a year. The program aimed to:

• Provide homebuyers with a recognized symbol of electrical excellence
• Raise the electrical standards in new construction, as well as inspire homeowners to improve their current homes

To earn a LBE Medallion emblem a house must have had:

• Electricity only for heat, light, and power
• An electric range
• An electric refrigerator
• An electric water heater
• Another major electric appliance, such as a dishwasher, disposal, dryer, air conditioner
• A specified number of outlets and switches per linear foot of wall space
• A high standard for built-in illumination

Homes that met LBE standards received a brass plaque that could be embedded in pavement, in a doorbell or knocker, or as a window decal. Living in a Medallion home was marketed as the apex of modern living—and you essentially got an award for buying one. Here is an example medallion:

The Medallion Homes campaign was a success, and at least a million new homes during the 1950s, 60s and 70s met the standard.

General Electric Theater

The LBE and Medallion Homes program were heavily promoted through magazine, newspaper, TV, and radio ads. The program received a further boost from then-actor Ronald Reagan, who hosted General Electric Theater. The episodic TV drama series ran on Sunday evenings. Reagan introduced each episode, and then starred in four programs each season.

Aside from giving the former B-movie actor his rise to true stardom and eventually to a career in politics (It is actually a pretty interesting history of Reagan’s rise to politics from this TV series, but that goes beyond the scope of this article.) The program featured pretty good programming, and pretty well-known actors. The list of actors who appeared in GE Theater reveals many familiar names—Fred Astaire, James Dean, Bette Davis, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Groucho Marx. Even Leslie Nielsen appeared in the Journal of Hope episode in September 1960 (I didn’t realize he existed before The Naked Gun or Airplane!)  

Part of the programming was also touring of Reagan’s Pacific Palisades home, a mid-century marvel he designed himself, which became GE’s “Home of the Future.” GE outfitted the Reagan home with the latest technology the company had to offer. Reagan quips about the craziness of the house included:

“Everything in the house will be electric—except the chairs.”

Regarding the home's 3,000-pound custom electrical switch box, Reagan noted:

“We’ve got a direct link to Hoover Dam.”

Here’s a clip of the Reagans talking about the lighting in their home. Part way into the film, impressively, in addition to a chandelier over the dining table, they have what looks like a ring of 12 multi-colored incandescent lights circling the chandelier. I believe I would have gone blind during dinner.

In another episode, Ronald and Nancy, along with their daughter, Patti, play a game of finding all the electric appliances in the house. No espresso machines as of yet.

I feel like now a utility or technology company would be crushed for encouraging folks to use more electricity. Although maybe that’s what is happening more subtly now with electric vehicles? Or the rise of the Internet of Things that have to get their power from somewhere? Maybe it just isn’t as blatant, but it is interesting to see how different creative approaches have shaped peoples’ perceptions of energy.

I always like to look back at how our electricity has shaped peoples’ lives, but I also get excited to look ahead at what’s next for energy. At our ETS17 event at the end of March in Austin, Texas, we’ll discussing the role of art and design, and how it shapes consumers’ connection with energy going forward. 

HCR