Industry needs to help “muddled” consumers understand efficiency
Consumers continue to be “muddled” about green and energy-efficient technologies, appreciating their benefits, but also viewing them as ugly, costly and difficult, according to a recent survey.
As a result, the clean energy industry faces a “green gap,” says EcoAlign, the strategic marketing agency that prepared the Jan. 14, 2008 report “EcoPinion: Customer Perceptions of Green Technology.”
The findings emerged from the company’s interviews during December 2007 with 1000 households, selected to match the U.S. population by age, gender, region and ethnicity.
Forty-six percent of consumers interviewed had adopted some form of green technology. The percentage jumps significantly among the 55+ age group, according to the report.
Consumers who had not adopted some form of green technology tended to describe the technologies in a negative fashion -- ugly, expensive, and difficult to understand and maintain. The 46% who had adopted green tech were significantly more positive, said the report.
In addition, the report found that consumers in the 55+ age group were more likely to be using green technologies, less likely to be concerned if their neighbors install green technologies and more likely to view green technologies in a positive manner.
Opinions varied based on where consumers lived. Western state households were more likely to express worry about small wind turbines, solar panels and recycled materials. Wind turbines also evoked concern in the Northeast, were wind farms often face a strong not-in-my-backyard sentiment. Consumers in the Midwest tended to be least alarmed overall, especially about energy efficient windows and insulation.
The report offered several suggestions to help the industry overcome the “green gap.” First, companies must invest the necessary money in market research, the report said. Second, the industry should articulate better the benefits of green technologies. And finally, the industry needs to pay more attention to how green technologies look and feel to the customer.
“As Kermit the Frog sang, it’s not easy being green,” said Andrea Fabbri, COO and chief marketing officer. “Vendors of green products and services have a lot of work to do to educate and promote their value proposition.”
EcoAlign is an affiliate of DEFG, a Washington, D.C. consulting and financial services firm focused on innovative energy technologies. The report is available at: http://www.ecoalign.com. | 
