As marketers, we’re constantly challenging ourselves to think differently (and more humanly) about energy efficiency – to remove ourselves from the daily grind of heating and cooling programs, product rebates and financing offers. How can we approach participation from a truly customer-centric perspective?

New market research tells us one thing loud and clear: It’s not that customers don’t care about energy efficiency. It’s that energy efficiency isn’t even on their radar. (So when it comes to the ever growing to do list… these upgrades don’t make the cut.)

We recently surveyed 1,345 homeowners across the country to better understand the customer relationship (or lack thereof) with energy efficiency. And get this...

KSV research shows that Americans view energy efficiency positively. In fact: 86% of homeowners believe the world will be better off because of energy efficiency. 82% believe energy efficiency can help America’s energy independence. 72% believe energy efficiency can reduce emissions and delay climate change.

On top of that, 75% of homeowners expect big impact from energy efficient products and services in as little as five years. (FIVE years!) YET.... 

In KSV’s newest national survey, 78% of Hispanic homeowners are interested in making their homes use less energy. (That is 10% higher than the interest level of African Americans, and almost 20% higher than that of Caucasians.)*

85% of homeowners want visual information, an in-depth dashboard of their energy consumption. 52% state that they would change their behavior from the ability to better understand and visualize the way they are powering their homes.

“We need to stop interrupting what people are interested in... be what people are interested in.” – Craig Davis

Have you ever looked up the definition for “energy efficiency”? Well if you do, you’ll find no definition on Dictionary.com...

Control: Consumers are demanding more control over their homes than ever before. They want lighting that's flexible enough to be tailored to their individual needs and moods, and offers more functionality than on/off.

Home Intelligence: Consumers adopting connected technology need to know that it will all work together – whether it’s their lighting, thermostat, music, TV, or security system. They want to be able to manage these aspects of their home efficiently.

Last week at the ACEEE Market Transformation conference, the conversation around the changing utility landscape continued. We heard a representative from the Department of Energy state, “If utilities don’t change, and get out of the paradigm of the past, their business will change for them.”

Connecting with the Ever-Connected Customer. Why is this so important?

Because we’re not just talking about the Beats-headphones and Fitbit-wearing, mobile device-centered millennial anymore… According to Accenture, more than two-thirds of consumers plan to buy connected technology for their homes by 2019. (Smart thermostats alone are expected to have a 43% adoption rate in the next five years.*)

As marketers, we’re constantly challenging ourselves to think differently (and more humanly) about energy efficiency – to remove ourselves from the daily grind of heating and cooling programs, product rebates and financing offers. How can we approach participation from a truly customer-centric perspective? How do we start a movement that inspires action across audiences? How do we get people to care about living an efficient life?