Harris Interactive surveyed 3,171 adults during the week of Valentines, February 14 – February 21, and asked them all sort of questions about energy, energy efficiency, and power sources. I found some surprising information in the results — i.e., 56% of Americans have never heard the term “smart grid.” Perhaps even more astonishing, only 11% of American have conducted a home energy evaluation or home energy audit.
Specifically, Harris Interactive asked survey participants the following question: Which of the following have you done to improve energy efficiency in your place of living?
In the low-hanging fruit department, 84% of Americans turn off TVs, lights, and other things when not in use. Also, 60% of Americans replace incandescent bulbs with efficient lights and use power strips with their electronics. 53% of Americans look for Energy Star when replacing small appliances.
But less than a majority of Americans do things like weather strip windows and doors (38%), change air filters (35%), seal gaps in floors, walls, or around pipes (33%), install low-flow faucets and showerheads (29%), add insulation to attic, walls, and crawl space (25%), or conduct a home energy evaluation or audit (11%).
I’m not sure why home energy audit/evaluation has such a low response number. Some audit tools are available online for free. Plus, an audit/evaluation should be the first step when undertaking a system or efficiency improvement. On the flip side, I guess this means the market is full of opportunity.
Anyone have any thoughts about what’s behind the numbers?