Smart grid attitudes: Understanding the "concerned green" consumer

By Patty Durand

SGCC Executive Director

Glowing trees and lawns bejeweled with hundreds of tiny bulbs fill many people with holiday spirit.  For homeowners concerned with minimizing their energy usage, LED lights are a bright idea. They are better for the environment; run much cooler, reducing fire risk; they last longer and they’re cheaper to operate than incandescent bulbs.  What do we know about people who would buy such bulbs?

Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative’s Consumer Pulse and Market Segmentation Study examined electricity consumers in the U.S. in terms of how they think, decide and act on energy. The study identified five distinct consumer segments in the U.S., each defined holistically in terms of attitudes, values, behaviors, motivations, lifestyles, technology adoption and more – all as they relate to smart grid issues.

This article explores the largest group, the “Concerned Green” segment of the U.S. population and how their distinct mindset may influence their support of the smart grid.

Who is the concerned green segment?

More than a niche market, the concerned green segment comprises 31 percent of electricity consumers in the U.S.  They tend to be highly educated with 23% reporting an annual income of $100,000 or greater.  The majority are middle-aged (65% are between 25 to 54 years of age) women who politically identify themselves as being moderate to liberal; geographically concentrated in Northeast and West regions of the U.S.

What is their smart grid understanding?

Smart grid and smart meter awareness is low among concerned greens as it is with all segments, only 28% have basic or complete knowledge of smart grid -what it is, how it would work, and how it would affect homes and businesses. Yet, they feel more favorable toward the technology and programs than other segments.

Concerned greens report higher interest, relative to other segments, in programs that would help them manage energy, such as smart meter data energy management, critical peak and TOU pricing.  They feel that the biggest incentive to implement smart grid and smart meter technology may be improvements in energy efficiency and saving energy, which helps the environment by reducing greenhouse gases.

Next page: "Concerned green" values and beliefs >>