Realizing the Advantages of Energy Efficiency In Your Business

CONFIDENTIAL - Please do not distribute or reproduce without express written permission from Shelton Group.CONFIDENTIAL - Please do not distribute or reproduce without express written permission from Shelton Group.
Insights into eﬀectively marketing
green and eﬃcient homes
Tennessee Energy Education Initiative
Say it right

CONFIDENTIAL - Please do not distribute or reproduce without express written permission from Shelton Group.

We help companies deﬁne and
leverage their energy eﬃciency
and sustainability commitments to
gain a market advantage.

How can you increase consumer demand
for green homes?

Start with the channel

Once the channel is on board, then target
the consumer

Level Setting

2009
2010
2011
2012

In which product categories are you
searching for greener products?
70.8% 60.7% 59.2% 58.0% 46.5% 46.0%
Light bulbs/
ﬁxtures
Home
cleaning
Laundry/
dishwashing
Paper Food/
beverages
Personal
care

In which product categories are you
searching for greener products?
42.8% 38% 36.7% 36.4% 34.9% 32.5%
Appliances Electronics Yard and
gardening
Home renewable
energy
Plumbing
ﬁxtures
Home
improvement
products

They care about many of the features/
beneﬁts inherent to green homes

Say higher energy eﬃciency would cause them
to choose one new home over another
82%

If you were the President…

Solar
36%
17%Wind

Are at least somewhat concerned about
indoor air quality
46%

But…

What they think they should do to improve the
indoor air quality of a home isn’t entirely right
42.6% 34.2% 34.0% 30.8% 29.2% 20.5%
Clean air
ducts
HEPA ﬁlters Improve
home’s
ventilation
Open
windows
Electric air
cleaner
House plants

So…
DON’T:
•  Use the words “indoor air quality”
•  Talk about saving the planet
DO:
•  Tout the end beneﬁts of IAQ
•  Talk about improved comfort
•  Talk about “no harsh chemicals,” and “keeping
your family safe from toxins”
•  Talk, speciﬁcally, about how much money they’ll
save on utility bills

How can you increase consumer demand
for energy eﬃcient homes?

Level setting

“Green” = “energy eﬃciency” in the building sector

Energy conservation importance is up.

Our top energy concern: Our dependence on
foreign countries.
36.9% 29.9% 20.0% 13.1%
America depends
too much on foreign
countries for energy
My ability to pay
for energy
The environmental
impact of our
energy use
We’re using up our
energy resources at
the expense of
future generations.

The stated motivation for an energy eﬃcient home
is to save money.
The stated obstacle to embracing energy eﬃciency
is up-front cost. (In your case, the cost of a
comparable unit.)

There are some very real emotional obstacles
in the way of motivating Americans to make
energy eﬃciency more important in their homes

Apathy

Misperceptions

think they don’t use more electricity today
than they did ﬁve years ago
80%

Anger

The Wheel of Blame
Utilities are now at
the top of the
“blame” list for high
energy costs –
ahead of oil
companies, the
government, unrest
in the Middle East
and consumer
demand.

AngerApathy

About now you’re thinking, “Clearly, we
need to educate people.”

Don’t try to “educate” the market into being energy
eﬃcient

Don’t try to scare the market into buying

Connect them to the real, underlying beneﬁts of
green & eﬃcient homes they actually care about

Focus in on the features they value most

Push behaviors, not just products

Over half of potential buyers admit they would
likely use energy-eﬃcient products more.
53%

Summary
•  Start with the channel
•  Then engage the consumer
–  Don’t talk about saving the planet or IAQ (like they know what it means)
–  Don’t try to educate, scare or spin them into buying
–  Push increased comfort for the family, healthier for everyone in the home,
controlling energy bills
–  Push behaviors, not just products
–  Create speciﬁc, logical action steps

Discussion

Thank you!
Adam Kustin
865.524.8385
akustin@sheltongrp.com

Realizing the Advantages of Energy Efficiency In Your Business

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (17)

Similar to Realizing the Advantages of Energy Efficiency In Your Business

Similar to Realizing the Advantages of Energy Efficiency In Your Business (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Realizing the Advantages of Energy Efficiency In Your Business