Attitudes to smart by country
Focus groups for consumer research
"There is no relationship. You pay and they give you electricity."- Spanish consumer
To gain insight into current consumer views and explore how consumer behavior could make or break the broader business case for smart, we talked to consumers in
13 countries.
We explored attitudes to their energy suppliers, their understanding of smart technology and their potential appetite for new, smart-enabled services.
Our key findings show:
- Consumers feel relationships with energy providers are distant at best, negative at worst.
- The energy market is not viewed as dynamic, and P&Us are seen as lacking customer empathy.
- Smart metering is initially viewed positively, but there is skepticism about who will ultimately benefit — the consumer, society in general or the utility.
- Across all 13 countries, consumers reacted positively to smart services that gave them more control, and strongly disliked any ideas that appeared to remove control.
- The only services consumers would buy from current energy providers are those directly related to monitoring or managing energy use.
To learn more, read our report, The rise of smart customers: how consumer power will change the global power and utilities business.
