The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) engaged Level 7 Market Research from June to December of 2024 to describe consumer acceptance of, experiences with, and willingness to purchase connected consumer products. Additionally, this research ventured to describe predictors of consumer interest and uptake, in order to inform NEEA’s Retail Product Portfolio (RPP) Market Transformation program’s strategic planning around these new appliances.
Level 7 conducted a mixed method market research project. They reviewed relevant primary documents, surveyed over 2,000 consumers from the Northwest region, led focus groups, and utilized online bulletin board discussion groups to address these research objectives. The study found that despite low ownership and utilization of the features provided by these appliances, there is widespread awareness of connected consumer products. Customers were excited by the potential of connected consumer products to lower energy bills and reduce usage, but were concerned about additional costs for these features, as well as potential problems with data privacy and cyber security. The NEEA RPP program will utilize these findings during ongoing conversations with manufacturers and utilities and will continue to explore ways that this emerging technology may afford opportunities for enhanced energy efficiency performance in home appliances.
