Buying One and Using One
John Hargrove is President and CEO of the Association of Energy Services Professionals.
In last month’s column, I mentioned that the Association of Energy Services Professionals just wrapped up a significant energy efficiency survey of both utility professionals and consumers. It is entitled “Trends in Energy and Demand Management — Programs, Technology, Jobs.” One of my favorite sets of results shows the relationship between the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart thermostats.
Smart thermostats are the clear leader in IoT devices installed under a utility program, with approximately eighty percent of respondents saying their utility programs include these devices. And utilities obviously do a lot of planning and evaluating before including thermostats in their programs.
Consumers, on the other hand, tend to make these purchases on an impulse basis: seventy-one percent of total purchases are impulsive, in fact. Utilities seldom make an impulsive move; consumers often do. It’s no wonder utilities don’t always structure their programs to link up with consumer habits.
One can assume that utilities use thermostats in their demand-side programs because they are reliable, communicate efficiently, and provide measurable results.