By John Antonchick, NCN Associates (June 28, 2011)
Consumer interest in “Residential Energy Management” is strikingly higher than might be thought; and is supported by actual purchasing of stand-alone home systems. Segmentation (survey) indicated that there is a minority (41%) that are not interested but the remainder show considerable interest and purchasing. Interest in energy savings itself, e.g. supported by utility programs, is quite high. So, there seems to be great opportunities both for stand-alone systems as well as leveraging consumer attitudes in advanced utility and/or energy efficiency initiatives. This data from Parks surveys seems to conflict with the prevailing wisdom in the electric utility/smart grid environment?
Bill Ablondi explains that Parks has done a “deep dive” in their surveys to understand the motivations and characteristics of consumers. These surveys indicate most are not “tech averse” and many have strong motivations, e.g. regarding environmental issues. Categories identified that are good candidates for energy management include “Life Maximizers” and “Home Safeguarders” although their interests and motivations are quite different, e.g. Home Safeguarders (27% of consumers surveyed) were motivated/interested in automation and information but not much in other services (e.g. remote control). One take-away is that motivations include more than just saving money, i.e. include improving homes and lifestyles.
