Schneider Electric has released the third edition of its consumer survey in a white paper, having surveyed 13,000 people from 11 countries across the world to uncover worldwide attitudes towards household energy efficiency, sustainability, and smart home technology.
Home energy consumption is the main driver of home emissions and has continued to increase with the spread of energy-consuming devices and appliances. Coupled with skyrocketing energy costs and the felt impacts of climate change, home energy consumption awareness has increased.
In consideration of this, the survey focuses on behaviours, barriers and readiness to adopt energy-saving solutions. This year’s results highlight a wide gap between awareness and action; 82% of respondents consider energy efficiency ‘somewhat important’ or ‘very important’, while 84% said energy efficiency is the top desired home improvement and 70% said reducing their carbon footprint is important.
Only a few are taking the most impactful actions to reduce energy consumption; just 44% regularly adjust their ambient temperatures, despite this being one of the highest-impact actions. At the same time, 58% of homeowners turn off lights as their primary strategy for saving energy, while lighting only comprises around 5% of electricity bills. The second-most popular method, unplugging unused chargers (48%), also has minimal impact.
The report reveals an overemphasis on lighting where the types of home energy technlogy consumers have in their homes is concerned. 52% of consumers believing that smart lighting enhances energy efficiency. While 24% own smart lighting, only 21% have a smart thermostat, with less than half (46%) acknowledging its energy-saving benefits, despite evidence showing it could reduce bills by up to 30% ever year.
For the first time, the survey explored attitudes towards artificial intelligence (AI). Despite predictions that AI and automation could mitigate up to 10% of global GHG emissions, 44% of respondents said they would never rely on AI for household tasks, 35% don’t fully understand it, and 41% want to actively avoid it. In addition, 52% believe smart home technology is too expensive, even though connected homes can reportedly achieve energy savings of up to 22%.
The survey also shows an awareness gap for more traditional home technology: 30% of respondents don’t know what their electrical panel does, and 16% don’t know its location. The electrical panel is at the heart of the home’s power system and acts as the gatekeeper for ensuring the safety of electrical devices and appliances, therefore this lack of knowledge poses potential serious safety risks if the condition of the panel is ignored as homes become more electrified.
“Consumers want to reduce their energy bill, increase their energy reliability and increase energy efficiency in their homes. Yet, there exists a gap between intention and action. The technology to enhance home energy efficiency exists today but there is a lack of awareness of the most impactful ways to deploy it,” said Michael Lotfy Gierges, Executive Vice President of Home and Distribution at Schneider Electric. “Through greater electrification and digitalisation, home energy use can be better measured, controlled and transitioned to more renewable sources.”
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