New Zpryme Smart Grid Study, The New Energy Consumer, Released During ConnectivityWeek

In a new Zpryme study sponsored by Itron, Inc. released at ConnectivityWeek this week, The New Energy Consumer, found that 90% of all respondents said it was important for utilities to have the most advanced communications technology to increase energy efficiency and prevent power outages.

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Santa Clara, CA - (Zpryme) – 05/24/11 – In a new Zpryme study sponsored by Itron, Inc. released during ConnectivityWeek this week, The New Energy Consumer, which surveyed 1,082 home owners or renters age 18 – 75 across the U.S. developed, found that 90% of all respondents said it was important for utilities to have the most advanced communications technology to increase energy efficiency and prevent power outages, however only, 23.0% said they wouldn’t mind paying slightly higher rates over a short time period to fund such technology for utilities. Conversely awareness of the Smart Grid was associated with income levels as higher income people were more aware of the Smart Grid. The highest rated potential benefit of the Smart Grid was saving money; the biggest concern was the cost to build it, which likely shows the current state of the U.S. economy currently has a great effect on Smart Grid perceptions. According to all respondents, when asked about how much of a premium they would be willing to pay for Smart Grid technology, 16.9% said a 10% premium. Only 41.0% of the overall sample said they were aware of the Smart Grid, with just 3.9% very knowledgeable. However, 62.3% of HTUs said they were aware of the Smart Grid, with 41.3% very knowledgeable.

“The smart grid provides the platform to bring unprecedented awareness and control to consumers, enabling them to monitor their usage and shift behaviors to save money on their monthly bills, as well as contribute to conserving precious resources”, explained Tom Wilson, Senior Product Manager (Smart Grid Solutions) at Itron, Inc.

The study (available for download at: www.smartgridresearch.org) sponsored by Itron, Inc. and conducted by Zpryme presents a comprehensive look at energy consumption attitudes and perceptions by consumers, the smart grid communication networks and enterprise systems for U.S. utilities in the U.S. The study includes three of the following chapters: New Energy Consumer Survey, Smart Grid Architecture Market Analysis, Itron Q&A

Other findings from The New Energy Consumer:

• 70% of home owners and 66.8% of renters rated their utility as good or outstanding.


• More people monitor/manage their electricity usage on a monthly basis than any other time period.


• The highest rated potential benefit of the smart grid was saving money; the biggest concern was the cost to build it.


• 94% of all respondents said it was important for utilities to have the most advanced communications technology to increase energy efficiency and prevent power outages; however, only 22.0% said they wouldn’t mind paying slightly higher rates over a short time period to fund such technology for utilities.


• Residents who said they wouldn't mind paying higher rates for electricity from renewable sources tended to be male, renters, young, and with higher incomes.


• The U.S. market value for utility enterprise and purpose-built systems and networks for mission-critical operations is projected to grow from $4.2 billion in 2010 to $6.5 billion in 2015. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2010 to 2015 is projected to be 9.2 percent.


• In 2010, wired networks accounted for 65.0 percent ($477.5 million) of the total communication network value, while wireless networks accounted for 35.0 percent ($257.1 million) of the market. In 2015, wired networks are projected to account for 48.0 percent ($764.8 million) of the total communication network value while wireless networks are projected to account for 52.0 percent ($828.5 million) of the market.