This paper focuses on user experience with emerging load flexible (LF) technologies, as demonstrated in residential and commercial building field sites in California. It draws from semi-structured interviews with people who interacted with LF technologies or who had energy services affected by these technologies during testing of their responsiveness to electricity price and greenhouse gas signals simulating those expected as California’s grid evolves. Three aspects of the user experience are highlighted: (1) user orientation and setup in advance of technology testing; (2) user observations of LF test impacts, including perceived changes in energy services and unanticipated side effects; and (3) interactions with user interfaces, with a particular focus on topics related to user control (e.g., parameter settings, overrides, power shutoffs) and knowledge that can reduce uncertainty and aid in understanding the benefits of load flexibility.