New Report Reveals Renters' Energy-Related Interests and Attitudes

ATLANTA, Oct. 31, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- While some in the energy industry believe that that renters are not interested in energy issues or aware of technologies that can help them save money, the "Spotlight on Renters" report from the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC) shows that renters are, in fact, familiar and interested in energy technologies and programs.

The "Spotlight on Renters" report is a meta-analysis of three previous surveys and was commissioned to provide guidance to energy industry stakeholders on who renters are in comparison to homeowners. The report explores renters' familiarity with key energy topics affecting them and their communities, their interest in utility programs and energy technologies, and their perceptions and attitudes toward their current electricity providers.

Since 2004, homeownership has trended downward in the U.S., and by the end of 2016, more than one-third of Americans rented rather than owned their homes. However, utilities and other stakeholders often feel that this is a particularly hard-to-engage subset of customers. Renters, on the other hand, often themselves feel unable to make energy-efficient improvements to their homes and unable to make these requests to their landlords, according to the "Consumer Pulse and Market Segmentation Study – Wave 6" that published earlier this year.

The new report revealed two overarching insights of particular relevance for energy providers and other stakeholders. First, while renters have the similar levels of interest in and familiarity with energy programs and technologies as homeowners, their level of adoption is significantly lower. This lower rate of adoption suggests a lack of awareness, which could be a key opportunity for industry stakeholders interested in new avenues for consumer engagement.

Second, the findings suggest that renters are interested in additional opportunities from utilities and their partners, but ones that meet their unique needs. The report specifically found that programs focused on shifting energy usage to off-peak times in exchange for bill credits or rebates are more popular among renters, particularly younger renters.

An executive summary of the "Spotlight on Renters" report is now available to the public at www.smartenergycc.org, and a full version of the report is available to members via their online logins and members of the media on request.

Jonathan Field                                                                                    
Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative 
404-348-8015 
[email protected]

SOURCE Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative

Related Links

http://www.smartenergycc.org