A new study says two thirds of consumers know how to make sustainable energy choices, but won’t spend the time or money to do it. Really?
The snapshot from Ernst Young (EY) calls this “consumer fatigue”. They found households—and they asked 100K of them—are keen on clean energy and know quite a bit about it, but often can’t see the value in taking any more action.
Does it matter? Well yes I think it does. While governments and business are busy cutting energy use & backing green electricity, it will all falter or at least take a lot longer to achieve if people don’t take action too. That’s a fundamental disconnect.
Cost and choice are at the heart of the problem it seems. 72% said they can’t absorb a bill increase of 10%, but 77% want their energy provider to offer low-cost energy options alongside high-end products and services. And 18% would adopt new energy products and services if it was easier to purchase and install them.
Obviously If you’re worried about paying next month’s bills, climate change probably isn’t front of mind. This all opens a can of worms for the public and private sectors of course. How to really engage with consumers given that their ideas, motivations, knowledge—and finances—are complex and, yes, sometimes “irrational” according to the report?
EY says three actions—access, appeal & affordability—can close the gap between interest and taking charge. I suspect it’s the right strategy, keep making policies and products that meet those criteria and you will ultimately take most of the community with you.
But as EY says, people “will ultimately determine the success or failure of our clean energy future” and we should never lose sight of that.
Cheers, John Fennell