New survey in the Smart Energy Snapshot Series explores what Americans think about adjusting their heating system during cold weather months

Seventy-nine percent of consumers say that they would likely participate in a program where they voluntarily adjust their heating system for a small financial incentive during the winter, according to the latest survey from the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC), a nonprofit organization that studies Americans’ energy-related behaviors, interests and values.

Consumers are somewhat less interested in a direct load control (DLC) program where the energy provider adjusts the heating system (59 percent); however, 69 percent of Americans with a smart thermostat at home say they would likely participate in a DLC program.

The “Warming Up to Winter Demand Response” survey – the latest installment in SECC’s Smart Energy Snapshot Series – was fielded to a nationally representative sample of 2,083 consumers aged 18 and older. This survey reveals insights for electricity providers and other industry stakeholders looking to better understand consumers’ openness to demand response programs during the winter months, what concerns consumers might have and, finally, how consumers would like to learn about these programs.

While Americans seem to be very willing to participate in a winter demand response, particularly those with a smart thermostat installed at home, they do have some concerns:

• 47 percent are concerned with ensuring the temperature meets everyone’s needs.
• 46 percent want to know that the program is actually saving them money.
• And 30 percent are concerned with excessive wear and tear on their heating system.

Finally, when it comes to learning about winter demand response programs and receiving notifications about heating system changes while participating, consumers strongly prefer for this information to come from energy providers rather than thermostat manufacturers or third-party companies. Sixty-one percent want to learn about these programs from energy providers (only 16 percent for thermostat manufacturers), while 72 percent of consumers want program notifications to come from energy providers (20 percent for thermostat manufacturers).

An infographic highlighting key figures from the “Warming Up to Winter Demand Response” survey can be viewed here, and a slide deck with the full survey findings is available exclusively for SECC’s membership. A 30-minute webinar on the key findings will be held in early March – more information will be available shortly at www.smartenergycc.org.