At least since the European guidelines for energy efficiency in 2006, Smart Metering has been an important module of today’s idea of a liberalized energy market. Since then, automated meter reading has not only become accustomed in industrial sectors but also more and more private households are being supplied with the new technology. With this publication the authors outline the transition from automated meter reading from an industry-based mechanism to an opportunity for private customers to increase energy efficiency and save costs by the use of flexible tariffs. Several chances go hand in hand with the new technology: consumers expect an increase in energy efficiency through a better consumption control and system operators intend to optimize their distribution grid’s operation. Supported by this theory, a field study conducted in a small German town is being introduced, where a flexible tariff along with a device to visualize consumption is used to integrate private customers into system operation. First outcomes indicate that private customers align their consumption significantly to an applied flexible tariff which shows that such a tariff can be used for improving the distribution process.