Major Disconnect: Itron Index reveals difference of opinion between utilities, consumers
Increasingly, utilities are turning to new technologies to reduce energy and water waste, and want an integrated system that includes gas, solar and wind renewables, which will drive the transformation and address their changing business model.
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Credit: Kittisak |
That is according to Itron's latest and largest third annual
Resourcefulness Index, a global survey of more than 2,000
combined utility executives and consumers to benchmark energy
and water management.
The insights this year point to the growing importance of the
utility industry's role in leading the transformation in
managing finite resources.
At the same time, they reveal a growing dissatisfaction with the
level of communication and control consumers expect from their
utility. Consumers want utilities to do more to connect the dots
for them.
Meanwhile, in a huge disconnect, the majority of utility
executives said they are excelling in communicating with their
customers.
"One of the prominent themes from this year's report focuses on
the leading role that utilities have in transforming the way we
manage and use these resources around the globe," said Philip
Mezey, Itron president and chief executive officer. "In the age
of the Internet of Things and smart cities, it is becoming clear
that utilities have an opportunity to drive a real shift in how
they engage with consumers to enable smarter communities, propel
local economic development and better manage energy and water.
As utilities deploy new technologies and innovations to help
address the changing industry landscape, customers will look to
them for guidance."
Itron utilized third-party data to break down the indices into two: the Energy Resourcefulness Index and the Water Resourcefulness Index, measuring country-level resourcefulness using 35 macro indicators across three core pillars -- effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability -- and ranking the countries according to their performance for each.
Within the energy index, the report found the top five performing countries from first to fifth are: United States, Germany, Canada, Japan and France.
Within the water index, the five leading countries from first to fifth are: Australia (which topped the Index for the second consecutive year), Japan, Germany, France and the United States.
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