April 26, 2009

Homeowners are factoring energy efficiency into purchase decisions of consumer electronics in an effort to reduce home energy costs, according to a new study from the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). The study, “Home Technologies and Energy Efficiency: A Look At Behaviours, Issues and Solutions”, finds increasing consumer interest in the energy efficiency benefits of consumer electronics products, including do-it-yourself solutions and professionally installed home technologies.

Consumers are more likely to turn to smart energy meters than home
energy audits to reduce energy consumption. In the past two years,
about one in 10 households conducted a home energy audit. Of those that
had undergone an audit, 61% replaced appliances or devices with more
energy-efficient models. 56% percent of consumers show interest in
“smart energy meters” that provide information on optimum times to run
appliances for utility bill savings.

CEA finds that 57% of consumers believe an equal mix of behavioural
changes and the use of new technology will help them conserve household
energy. On average, consumers said they would need to see a 31%
increase in their monthly home energy costs before they would seek out
technology options to improve energy efficiency within the home.

Currently, there is low consumer awareness for terms used by the custom
installation industry to describe home energy efficient technology.
While consumers are highly aware of the Energy Star designation (84%),
only 50% are aware of the term “smart home” and 38% are aware of “home
automation”. When given a sample of five major companies that sell
smart home products or technologies, a little over a third of
respondents are aware of them.

CLICK HERE for the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).