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Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative Publishes New Survey FindingsOct 30, 2012 (Close-Up Media via COMTEX) -- Consumers are interested in various smart grid-enabled pricing programs and services and are increasingly likely to use social media to access energy information, according results published in a new Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative (SGCC) telephone survey of 1,089 U.S. electricity consumers nationwide. In a release, the group said that the Consumer Pulse Survey Wave 3, undertaken from August 17 to September 5, by Market Strategies International, determined respondents' impressions of smart grid and smart meters, likelihood to participate in related energy programs and their social media behaviors. The report notes that consumer awareness of smart grid has remained relatively consistent over the last year, with 54 percent of Wave 3 respondents never having heard the term "smart grid." "There continues to be a real need for consumer education around smart grid," said Patty Durand, SGCC Executive Director. "The current low levels of public awareness on this issue represent both a challenge and an opportunity, but they must be acted upon." Rising to meet that challenge, SGCC also announced its participation in the recently-formed Department of Energy Smart Grid Customer Engagement Working Group managed by SmartEnergy IPTM. Within the working group, the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative will support the Stakeholders Relations Subcommittee, partnering with representatives from the energy and utilities industry to share information, build best practices and help to develop an engagement model for utilities rolling out smart grid programs. "It is an honor to bring forth our knowledge in this subject area by taking an active role within the DOE Smart Grid Customer Engagement Working Group. We look forward to promoting collaborative communication among stakeholders around increasing consumer awareness and engagement in smart grid," said Durand. More information: www.smartgridcc.org ((Comments on this story may be sent to [email protected])) |