Survey Reveals New Yorkers’ Views on the Smart Grid, Clean Energy Expansion, and Related Energy Issues English

NEW YORK and ATLANTA (PRWEB) July 12, 2017 -- Today, the New York State Smart Grid Consortium (NYSSGC), in partnership with Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative (SGCC), published the “New York Consumer Pulse Study,” a detailed look at New York consumers’ awareness of and attitudes toward the smart grid, clean energy expansion, New York’s Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) initiative, and advanced energy products and services.

The “New York Consumer Pulse Study” found that nearly 80 percent of New Yorkers believe the state should invest in clean energy expansion, and two-thirds of Downstate New Yorkers want the state to incentivize electric vehicles. The survey also found that half of all New Yorkers are interested in learning more about the REV initiative and more than half (56 percent) support the overall REV goals.

“The report shows that the clear majority of New Yorkers want New York State to invest in clean energy,” said James Gallagher, Executive Director of the New York State Smart Grid Consortium. “The survey data also shows that most New Yorkers are willing to pay their part to expand the use of clean energy sources.”

Commissioned by the NYSSGC, the “New York Consumer Pulse Study” was conducted as a part of the sixth wave of SGCC’s nationally representative “Consumer Pulse and Market Segmentation Study” and reached over 700 consumers throughout the State of New York via online consumer panels.

The New York study presents findings specific to the state and then compares these findings to the national results from SGCC’s “Consumer Pulse – Wave 6” study, released on May 31. The New York survey also analyzed responses by four geographical regions: Downstate, Long Island, Mid-Hudson, and Upstate.

“With Governor Cuomo’s ambitious Reforming the Energy Vision initiative currently underway in New York, the state has become a particularly important microcosm for studying the future of the U.S. energy industry and energy consumers,” said Patty Durand, President & CEO, Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative.

Other notable survey findings include:

• The majority of New Yorkers are aware of both the smart grid and smart meters (68 and 65 percent, respectively); however, in New York, consumer awareness of both smart meters and the smart grid is marginally lower than the national level.
• Downstate New Yorkers are the most aware of and interested in REV, while Mid-Hudson residents are the least interested in this initaitive. General support for REV is similar across the four New York regions but highest on Long Island (60 percent).
• More than half of New Yorkers (53 percent) are interested in participating in community solar programs, and interest in community solar is steady across the four regions.
• The overwhelming majority of New York consumers (83 percent) report that knowing their home is energy efficient is highly important to them; however, New Yorkers are less knowledgeable about how to make their homes energy efficient than the national average.
• Overall, the majority of New Yorkers across the state are satisfied with their current electricity provider (78 percent), and 82 percent of consumers in the Mid-Hudson Valley report being satisfied.

Additional findings on New Yorkers’ preferred choice of electricity provider, the use of social media for energy-related information, the generational differences in energy-related opinions and beliefs, and more can be found in the complete 33-page report.

The full “New York Consumer Pulse Study” is available for download here. A free, public webinar will be jointly conducted by SGCC and NYSSGC on Wednesday, July 19, at 2 p.m. (ET) to review the report’s key findings, and registration is currently open here.

###

About the New York State Smart Grid Consortium

The New York State Smart Grid Consortium (NYSSGC) is a unique non-profit, public-private partnership that promotes broad statewide implementation of a clean, safe, and reliable smart grid. The Consortium brings together many of the world’s leading utilities, technology providers, policy makers and research institutions to identify opportunities for accelerating grid modernization. For more information, please visit http://www.nyssmartgrid.com or follow us on Twitter, @NYSSmartGrid.

About the Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative

The Smart Grid Consumer Collaborative (SGCC) is a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to serve as a trusted source of information for industry stakeholders seeking a broad understanding of consumers’ views about grid modernization, electricity delivery, and energy usage, and for consumers seeking an understanding of the value and experience of a modern electrical grid. Learn more at http://smartgridcc.org or follow us on Twitter, @sgconsumer.

Lauren Mendoza, New York State Smart Grid Consortium / New York Results, +1 (201) 612-1230, [email protected]