Dive Brief:
- Between 34% and 41% of Americans would pay $10 more each month for better electric reliability, according to a new survey from GE Digital Energy.
- The survey, conducted following an active 2014 winter storm season, noted that of all adults in the U.S. who experienced an outage, 56% were without power for at least one hour during their most recent outage.
- The survey also showed that consumers are increasingly communicating with their utilities digitally and expect a higher mix of renewable power.
Dive Insight:
Following a winter notable for its power outages, GE commissioned the study and Harris Poll conducted it in May and June, surveying more than 2,000 U.S. consumers. The geographic findings reflect the weather-related outages: If you live on the East coast, you're fed up and willing to pay more.
According to the survey, 41% of Americans living east of the Mississippi River would pay an additional $10 each month for better grid reliability. Comparatively, 34% on the western side of the river responded the same.
“With summer season underway — and the potential tornados, droughts and hurricanes that come with it — utilities should ask themselves if they are any more prepared to handle this stress," said John McDonald, director of technical strategy and policy development for GE’s Digital Energy business.
In other findings from the study, 70% of respondents prefer to communicate with their utility digitally or online, using a mix of cell phones, web sites, email or text messages. And 82% would like their utility to do more to encourage conservation and energy efficiency in their homes. 81% of utility customers also expect their utility provider to use higher levels of renewable energy.