Smart Grid is shaping up, to some degree, as a multibillion dollar industry dominated by fifteen customers. Right now, the utilities mostly hold the keys. Relatively young Silver Spring Networks has contracts that could reach into the billion dollar range, but a huge bulk of that cash will come from one entity -- Pacific Gas & Electric. The danger is that the industry could evolve into something like the film industry or the NFL. Those that get chosen for a part or in the draft reap millions. Everyone else gets a job at a sports bar. But it doesn't have to be that way, says Trinity Ventures partner Marco DeMiroz. The key here is the customer support desk. For smart meters to curb energy consumption and really save money, the smart meters are going to have to communicate and control appliances in your home. (Smart meters do save utilities money by eliminating the need to send someone to your home and look at the meter, but the dream is home automation.) Utilities simply aren't going to want to answer your questions why your TV looks funny after a temporary brown-out, or hear complaints about how the air conditioner was off too long. "The real utility model stops at the meter," he said in our meeting yesterday. "We have to come up with a model where the utility stops there." So far, some companies are already taking advantage of this. Comverge already provides demand-response services that sit between the home and the utility. Tendril, Greenbox and others have come up with software and hardware (Tendril both; Greenbox software) that curb power consumption. Sustainable Spaces and Standard Renewables do energy assessments. All the components are there for residential ESCOs. (Side note: if you haven't checked out the Greenbox demo, please do. It's pretty interesting: You can see the energy savings when you shut off the air conditioner remotely. There's also a pagan god like power in it because you know the residents are now staring at the ceiling and hoping your whims change.) Consumers could engage these companies themselves. Alternatively, Home Depot could round up these services and offer it as their own services. You could even see the utility hawk them. It makes a lot of sense. But perhaps the best part is that it helps reduce the problem of smart grid evolving into a corporate version of Top Chef.