Survey finds US consumers in an energy-use delusion
by Rosalie Westenskow
10-04-09
As economic concerns deepen, most US consumers want to lower their
utility bills, but they also overestimate their homes' efficiency and
underestimate their own energy usage, according to a survey.
Many of those polled in the nationwide survey have taken measures to
decrease their monthly bills and save energy. For example, 73 % always turn
off lights, 57 % replaced most incandescent light bulbs in their homes with
more efficient compact fluorescent lights, 57 % purchased Energy Star
products and 52 % have renovated their homes to stop leaks and energy waste.
With all these attempts to save energy, it's not surprising that 53 % of
Americans think they're using less energy than they were five years ago,
according to a survey conducted by the Shelton Group, an advertising agency
based in Knoxville, Tennessee.
In reality, though, US electricity consumption has steadily risen,
increasing 10 % in the last 10 years, according to the Department of Energy.
There are anumber of reasons for this apparent contradiction, including the
growing number of appliances Americans consistently use and the "SnackWell's
effect," said Suzanne Shelton, president and chief executive of the Shelton
Group.
"A lot of us buy a box of SnackWell's (cookies) and think, 'They're low-fat,
so I can eat all of them,' (and) then we wonder why we haven't lost weight,"
Shelton said. "Buying an energy-efficient product can create the same type
of effect. We'll say, 'I just got a high-efficiency air conditioner; I can
lower the temp and make my home even cooler in the summer.'"
Behaviours like this may be why a third of survey respondents with
energy-efficient products said they had not seen the return on investment
they'd hoped for. Outcomes like that can kill energy-efficiency campaigns
and are largely due to lack of education, Shelton said.
"There's a willingness to be energy-efficient, but there's misinformation
about how to do it," Shelton told. That's because there's no unified,
nationalapproach and codified message, she said.
"Sadly, with all the billions of dollars (for energy efficiency) in the
stimulus bill, there is nothing set aside for consumer awareness," Shelton
said.
That's not a reflection of federal attitudes toward energy education,
though, said David Marks, spokesman for Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., chairman
of the Senate Energy Committee, which played a key role in drafting the
energy provisions of the recently passed American Recovery and Reinvestment
Act.
"The stimulus was all about job creation," Marks told. "It needed to be
timely and temporary." Education, while important, wouldn't have advanced
the goal of this particular bill, Marks said, because it wouldn't have
created many immediate jobs. However, future energy legislation may take up
that issue, he said.
In the meantime, there are already a number of state and federal agencies
with a myriad of programs focused on educating consumers, particularly the
Department of Energy and its offshoot, the Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy Office. The department distributes information to the media, creates
campaigns targeted toward different audiences and sponsors public-service
announcements, including one in 2007 that featured characters from the
Disney film "Ratatouille."
"Our emphasis is that there are ways to save energy and save on your bills
while staying comfortable," said Chris Kielich, Energy Department
spokeswoman. "You can't save 50 % on your bill by doing one thing, but if
you do many things, it certainly does add up."
To help consumers figure out what they can do to cut consumption, the
department has set up a number of Web sites, including energysavers.gov. The
site explains how to do a home energy audit and provides information on
energy-efficient appliances, insulation, lighting, windows, water heaters
and more. It also outlines ways to finance products and projects to increase
efficiency.
The results of the Shelton Group survey don't necessarily mean these efforts
aren't working, Kielich told.
"The fact that someone even did a poll is good because 10 years ago, no one
would have thought about it," she said. Energy efficiency "is really on
people's consciousness these days."
Grassroots efforts by utility companies represent a major force driving this
interest and changes in consumer behaviour, both Kielich and Shelton said.
Utilities have a major incentive to get their customers to use less, said
Robert Jagusch, director of energy services at the Minnesota Municipal
Utilities Association, which includes 125 utility providers in the state.
"The cheapest power plant to build is the one you don't have to build,"
Jagusch told. "We try to use conservation as a way to avoid building new
power plants."
State laws also prompt power providers to push efficiency. In Minnesota,
utilities are mandated to save 1.5 % of their annual retail electricity
sales. To do so, the companies hit the streets.
"For instance, we'll walk into a hardware store that sells energy-efficient
light bulbs, but you'll look up and they've got regular lighting," Jagusch
said. "We'll suggest they use their own product, and often they think it's a
great idea; they just never thought about it."
Many utilities also have programs that provide financial assistance for
customers, particularly low-income people, to help them invest in
energy-saving projects or products.
"Some of our utilities will... literally pay for and install Energy Star
products, like a fridge," Jagusch said.
There're a number of federal programs with the same objective. The recent
stimulus bill channelled $ 5 bn into the Weatherization Assistance Program,
a 30-year-old program that has already weatherized 6.2 mm low-income homes.
There are other programs for businesses, manufacturers, builders and people
who aren't considered low-income.
The Alliance to Save Energy, a coalition that promotes energy efficiency
worldwide, has created a Web site to help people find and utilize these tax
credits at energytaxincentives.org.
The current economic downturn may bring more people to Web sites like this
one and increase their willingness to conserve, but the public and private
sectors may have a harder time finding the funds to keep pushing the
energy-efficiency message. For instance, the main sponsor of one of the
alliance's campaigns just pulled its financial support.
"It is tough in this economic condition," said Jessica Lin, communications
associate at the alliance.
Source: http://www.upi.com |