The first paper in the Customer Insights Spotlight Series looks at the energy-related needs and wants of Gen Z consumers

When it comes to their electricity providers, Gen Z is significantly less likely to find them trustworthy, reliable and satisfactory compared to Millennials, Gen X and Baby Boomers, according to a new paper from the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC), a nonprofit organization that studies Americans’ energy-related behaviors, interests and values.

On a 10-point scale, Gen Z rated their providers 7.0 on trust and 7.2 on satisfaction, lower than Millennials/Gen X at 7.2 and 7.3 and considerably below Boomers at 7.5 for both metrics. The greatest discrepancy, however, arose around reliability; Gen Z rated their providers 7.3, while Millennials/Gen X gave them a 7.8 and Boomers found them to be very reliable (8.1 out of 10).

The “Building Awareness and Trust with Gen Z” paper – which is based on a nationwide survey conducted by The Harris Poll of 2,300 Americans who have responsibility over their electric bills – also explored Gen Z’s top priorities when it comes to energy, how they typically engage with their electricity providers, their interest in clean energy programs and technologies and much more.

While their current perspectives on their electricity providers leave room for improvement, there are positive signs that suggest this generation could be likely to engage in clean energy programs if their barriers to participation are addressed. They are the most likely to view technology as a means to improve their quality of life, and they don’t mind spending money on technology if it can provide a clear benefit to them (70 percent agreed with this statement compared to 63 percent of Millennials/Gen X and only 38 percent of Boomers).

In addition, Gen Z is more likely to currently own smart home devices, such as smart plugs, smart thermostats and smart lighting, that could be connected to energy-saving or load-shifting programs. And they are more likely to own an electric vehicle (EV), to be familiar with an artificial intelligence (AI) application and to think AI will have a positive societal impact (59 percent of Gen Z believe this compared to 47 percent of Millennials/Gen X and 23 percent of Boomers).

However, Gen Z has a unique set of barriers to program participation when compared to Millennials, Gen X and Boomers. They are more likely to rent, live in multi-family dwellings and live with roommates – all of which can substantially limit their agency to make energy upgrades. In addition, about half (47 percent) of Gen Z consumers say that they don’t know what to do to save energy at home, compared to just 29 percent of Millennials/Gen X and only 14 percent of Boomers.

“As the second-largest generation after Millennials and a growing part of the U.S. economy, Gen Z is no longer an emerging generation whose needs can be addressed in the future,” said SECC’s President & CEO Nathan Shannon. “They are increasingly an important part of each electricity provider’s customer base, and providers and other stakeholders need to make sure that they understand what makes these customers tick and what blocks them from participation.”

The “Building Awareness and Trust with Gen Z” paper can be accessed here by member organizations and is available to the media on request. In addition, a 30-minute webinar on the survey findings and related programs will be held on Wednesday, September 24 at 1 p.m. (ET) with SECC’s President & CEO Nathan Shannon and guest speakers from ICF and Touchstone Energy.