Residential smart grid projects can be evaluated by a design-driven approach, which focuses on gaining insights for successful product and service development by taking the end-users as a starting point. Because only little experience exists with this design-driven approach, this paper addresses how four pilot projects with smart energy households in the Netherlands - namely (A) Power Matching City, (B) Smart Wash, (C) Your Energy Moment and (D) Nieuwveense landen - are being or will be evaluated. The pilot projects illustrate that by studying end-users' perception of and interaction with technology, insights are created that can be used for development of product and service development, not only from a technical point of view but also in terms of financial and non-financial value creation. A design-driven approach can therefore help to broaden the focus of product and service development from merely technical feasibility to a multidisciplinary exploration of how to create successful products and services for smart grid households.