On this week’s episode we spoke with Sean Casey of EY
- The EY Energy Transition Consumer Insights Report provides crucial insights into the current state of sustainable energy transition, highlighting consumer attitudes and behaviours towards energy sustainability.
- While households say they are more interested than ever in sustainability and the potential of a clean energy future, only three in ten (30%) feel they can do more at this time to be more sustainable, according to the latest survey of 23,000 residential energy consumers across 21 countries, including 1,042 in Ireland.
- The EY research also identifies a generation gap when it comes to the sustainability premium of energy amongst Irish consumers – with Gen Z (32%) and Millennials (20%) willing to pay a premium for sustainable energy solutions, significantly ahead of Gen X (14%) and Boomers (15%).
- Despite efforts to increase energy sustainability, many households inadvertently offset their positive actions with negative behaviours, hindering progress. These can include replacing an appliance/device with a new one and continuing to also use the old one (21%), the increased use of a new appliance/device because it costs less to operate than the one it replaced (28%) or taking an action or making a purchase that helped reduce energy bills and using the savings to buy something else (31%).
- The EY research also shows that consumers trust energy providers to guide them on energy sustainability, which highlights the opportunity for companies to lead in driving sustainable energy practices.
- Sean Casey, EY Energy & Infrastructure Consulting Leader believes that efforts are needed to bridge the divide between consumer interest and action on sustainability, particularly by incentivising sustainable energy behaviours at the household level.
Find more information on the Energy transition consumer insights report here: https://www.ey.com/en_gl/insights/power-utilities/three-ways-to-move-energy-consumers-from-interest-to-action
