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Accenture survey finds consumers keen on power self-sufficiency

June 17, 2015 | By Anthony Capkun


June 17, 2015 – With the proliferation of new energy technologies—from distributed generation to wireless charging furniture—research from Accenture finds consumers are becoming increasingly conscious of their energy consumption, with many interested in solutions that help them save electricity.

Accenture’s sixth annual survey this year included more than 11,000 energy consumers in 21 countries (including 584 in Canada). The resulting report, “The New Energy Consumer: Unleashing Business Value in a Digital World”, finds two-thirds (66%) are interested in products and services that help them save electricity (up from 56% last year) while 69% say they would be interested in participating in an energy management program to help them conserve energy.

More than 3/4 of consumers have taken energy efficiency actions in the past year, including installing energy-efficient light bulbs (52%), reducing appliance usage (34%), using appliances in non-peak times (28%), and lowering thermostat settings (28%). However, nearly 4 in 10 consumers (38%) say they believe their energy provider is not effective in helping them manage their energy consumption.

In addition to conserving energy, consumers are increasingly interested in generating and storing their own electricity, such as by installing solar panels and home battery storage. More than half (57%) say they would consider investing to become power self-sufficient. While this varies dramatically between countries, with a much stronger bias towards the economies with lower electrification rates like South Africa, Indonesia or Brazil, most (89%) of those willing to invest would still want to be connected to the grid for back-up power.

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