Minorities are interested – utilities should develop targeted marketing initiatives to get them enrolled.
Our Utility Pulse™ ’13 study asked respondents whether they had already signed up or would sign up for a handful of demand-side management and information programs, including
- Online energy management systems
- Load management (or peak-time load control)
- Smart meters
- Time-of-use (TOU) pricing
Current participants in these programs were overwhelmingly white, but the profile of the most likely future participant was very different: Minorities over-indexed for almost all of the programs, with Hispanics, in particular, showing more interest in TOU pricing.
Reasons for interest in these programs varied, but many were more …
- Concerned about their ability to pay their power bills
- Willing to try new ways to control their power bills
- Open to new technology
- Concerned about the environment
In any case, utilities may see better-than-average results by gearing DSM marketing efforts to minorities.
TAGS: Efficiency & Conservation, Energy & Renewables
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