Consumer home energy management attitudes revealed

BOSTON, USA: Consumers surveyed across six countries show a willingness to open their wallets to improve energy efficiency, according to recent research from the Strategy Analytics Smart Home Strategies (SHS) service.

The report, “Segmentation and Analysis of Attitudes towards Energy Consumption: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK and US,” identifies groups most willing to make either small or large investments in energy efficiency, including heating and cooling systems, solar panels and even moving to a more energy efficient home. Comparisons by country reveal that consumers in France and Italy are most likely to spend on energy saving measures, while those in the UK are least likely to do so.

“Many people will pay small amounts for energy efficiency, but the market is very elastic,” said Bill Ablondi, director, Smart Home Strategies. “It is imperative to appeal to consumer desire to enhance comfort and convenience in addition to cost savings, in order to win market acceptance. Combining energy management capabilities with remote monitoring and control builds broader offerings with enhanced value for consumers.”

Broadband service providers and manufacturers, as well as technology enablers, are entering the smart home market. All entrants, including market movers British Telecom, SFR, Swisscom, Telefonica, Rogers Control Systems, Honeywell, Legrand, Somfy, Qualcomm and Broadcom, are seeking to better understand consumer preferences.

“For companies in the smart home market, energy management is seen as an essential application,” comments David Mercer, VP, Digital Consumer Practice. “Correctly packaging capability with the right price and the right distribution channel will be the key to success.”