SGCC Consumer Pulse Study
February 10, 2012
According to a national survey of U.S. energy consumers which was conducted for the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative (SGCC) by Market Strategies International, many non-financial benefits of smart grid upgrades are as compelling as those that can save consumers money.
The Wave II survey, was conducted with live interviewers by telephone from November 12 to December 6, 2011. A national RDD (random digit dialed) landline and cell phone sample was used. Respondents were over the age of 18 and a head of a household. Data was weighted by age, ethnicity, gender and region to align with the US national population.
Participants were asked to rate the importance of seven potential benefits of smart grid and smart meters. These included:
- ease of connecting renewable energy sources to the electric grid
- reduced outages
- new cost-saving rate plans
- fewer new power plant investments
- increased quality of power delivery
- availability of near real-time energy use information
- more accurate billing.
Each benefit was found to be important to 80% or more of respondents.
The results showed that consumer education about smart grid remains vital, as awareness and understanding are still lacking.
- 51% of consumers, a number unchanged since September 2011, say they have never heard the term smart grid
- 21% say that they have heard the term but don’t know much about what it means.
The majority of consumers who are familiar with smart grid concepts have positive feelings about it. They also become increasingly favorable toward the technology after receiving more information about it.
