From here to efficiency: People want to change, but don't know how

People across Europe and the US see energy efficiency as an important way to help them save money. But many of them also aren’t getting the information they need to make the most of the efficiency opportunities that are available.

That’s according to the results of a just-released survey of 4,000 people in France, Germany, the UK and the US. Conducted for electrical supply distributor Rexel by Harris Interactive, the survey found that nearly nine out of 10 respondents view energy efficiency as either “very” or “somewhat” important. However, a significant proportion — more than two-thirds in some cases — also acknowledge they have “only a superficial understanding of the existing measures in place to encourage it.”

That indicates that officials and agencies working to promote energy efficiency in these countries need to dramatically improve their communications and public education efforts.

In France, for example, a full 88 percent said they were very or somewhat familiar with the EU phaseout of inefficient incandescent light bulbs. On the other hand, 28 percent had never heard of the country’s new Low Energy Construction Standard while another 31 percent said they’d heard of it but didn’t really understand it.

The lack of information was even more notable in the UK, where one out of four people surveyed said they hadn’t heard of the light bulb phaseout and 35 percent were unfamiliar with the government’s plan to roll out smart energy meters to all British homes by the end of 2018. More than two-thirds — 68 percent — didn’t know about the government’s feed-in tariff for photovoltaics, which pays residents who install solar panels a set amount for every kilowatt of energy they generate and feed back into the grid.

Similarly, in the US, when it came to familiarity with a plan to phase out incandescent light bulbs, 25 percent had never heard of it. Some 88 percent, though, were very or somewhat familiar with state and federal incentives for home efficiency improvements, and 93 percent had heard of Energy Star appliances and purchase rebates.

Even in Germany, often held up as an example of green and low-carbon development, respondents showed the need for better information. More than half — 51 and 55 percent, respectively — said they were unfamiliar with insurance and bank programs set up to promote energy efficiency.

“This survey shows that we are in the process of moving towards a new energy model,” said Jean Charles Pauze, chairman of the management board and CEO of Rexel.

While that’s true, the survey also makes it clear a lot more effort is needed to help people understand and take advantage of new, more efficient technologies. As Henri-Paul Laschkar, senior vice president Rexel UK & Ireland, noted, “the future of energy efficiency in the UK depends on our ability to better communicate financial incentives, ROI and long-term cost savings.”

The same could also be said for France, Germany and the US.