Americans increasingly want a single location to manage their energy efficiency and demand response efforts, according to a consumer survey conducted by Comverge Inc. In addition, while a majority of people still rely on paper statements, the survey finds that there is a growing desire to access energy-related information online.
The results of the survey, compiled from interviews with more than 1,000 adults in early January, highlight a growing appetite for utilities to further engage customers and provide better tools to manage energy use, Comverge says.
Of the 1,034 respondents, more than half (57%) claimed that they would prefer to have a centralized location to manage all their utility-driven energy management programs. This result is particularly pronounced among younger adults, with 69% of those ages 18-29 and 66% of those ages 30-39 providing this response. The results also show a growing desire to move information online. A majority (72%) of the respondents still access details on their energy bill through monthly paper statements. However, only 58% want to access paper statements in the future. As adults continue the behavioral shift to moving more of their activities online, Comverge says it fully expects this number to become significantly lower.
The survey also questioned respondents on the time spent monitoring and reviewing their energy usage. Only 22% of respondents claimed they check their energy usage and/or bill at least once per week, while 16% said they do not track it at all. In addition, nearly two-thirds (62%) stated that they spend less than 10 minutes per month reviewing their energy usage/bill, and nearly a third (32%) said they take less than five minutes per month reviewing their usage/bill.
