Best Buy Report: Residential Energy Management

In late 2010, Alliance Associate Best Buy released “Energy Management: A Mass Market Consumer Opportunity,” a consumer research study on how consumers view and use energy management in their everyday lives. The report aims to help people interested in the development, execution or evaluation of smart energy programs for consumer residential energy management.

Energy Use Solutions for Consumers

In September 2010, Best Buy surveyed 2,000 broadband households via an online survey. Respondents represented a variety of household and personal characteristics: income, technology use, concern about the environment, and familiarity with energy management methods.

Based on the goal of helping consumers save money, Best Buy designed the report to provide ways consumers can integrate energy saving into their lives.

Making Lifestyle Changes

One challenge the report confronts is the “force-of-will” needed to adopt complicated technology solutions to gain efficient lifestyle benefits. Many consumers seem apprehensive to incorporate energy management solutions, given confusion about the home “ecosystem.”

The study also analyzes the role geographic location can play on attitudes about energy management. In fact, the study found that geography is related to the size of homes’ energy bills, the existence of community “green” projects, and the relationship between consumers and their local utilities.

The report also explores “generational expectations” – focusing on views of people raised with energy efficiency and those who need to make changes to adapt to an efficient lifestyle – and provides solutions to both groups. 

For more info

Read a summary of Best Buy’s “Energy Management” report here.  For a copy of the full report at a subsidized price, contact Brandy Morrow at brandy.morrow@bestbuy.com or 612.291.2903

Alliance Communications Intern Rebecca Fleischer contributed to this content.