Transcript Consumer First

Consumer First
The Energy Efficiency Commitment
4th September 2007
Maxine Frerk
Consumer First
• What is it?
• Work to date
• The future?
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Consumer Engagement
• Need to ensure we continue to capture domestic consumer
interest
• Comparison with I&C relationships (SMUG/LUG/SBUG)
• energywatch demise
• Issues becoming more complex with rise of sustainability
agenda
3
Research so far…
• Best Practice Review (HenleyVisionHeadlightCentre)
• Environmental Research (Stimulating World)
-(pilot of new research technique)
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Summarising the Henley Recommendations
• Strategic assessment of need for insight
• Improved approach to consultation
• Understanding the basic demographics
• Getting a deeper understanding (‘the soft stuff’)
• Anticipating future trends
• Developing an initial programme
• Building insight into the way we work, from the top down
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Environmental Research
• Overall objective
– Understand consumer attitudes to energy and
environmental matters
• With particular regard to:– Consumers’ awareness of environmental issues
– Consumers’ views on actions to tackle impact of energy on
the environment
– Types of action, responsibility for action, costs of action
– Consumers’ willingness to pay for measures to tackle
climate change
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The deliberative method
A deliberative methodology involves bringing together between 20
and 200 citizens to deliberate on key issues of concern.
Deliberative research is being used more and more to:
– Inform citizens
– Show transparency
– Expose people to a wider range of viewpoints
– Generate more effective communications
– Map shifts in opinion and what is causing this
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Method and sample
A two stage deliberative consultation was used:
•
Stage 1 - three initial workshops of two hours duration to benchmark
spontaneous thoughts and feelings about the issues
– With twenty citizens recruited according to UK socio-demographic
breakdown
– In three locations - London, Bristol, Glasgow
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Interim period participants were provided with:
– Information pack with fact sheets on climate change, energy sources
and energy efficient measures
– Pre-task to complete - collect articles/cuttings from
newspapers/magazines/internet to bring to reconvened sessions
•
Stage 2 – three full day reconvened workshops to elicit more informed
responses
– With same twenty citizens in the same locations
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Findings from initial workshops
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Participants were largely aware of the relationship between
energy and climate change
Most took this seriously but some doubted its validity
Industry was seen as the primary cause of pollution and global
warming
Growing emphasis on energy saving in the home with participants
trying to ‘do their bit’
No knowledge of Government or supplier schemes
Participants felt that responsibility for energy efficiency measures
should rest on Government’ shoulders (also concerns about the nanny
state)
Cost emerged as a major theme (suppliers’ profits, costs to
consumers)
A general feeling of pessimism and loss of control in the face of
climate change
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Findings from reconvened workshops
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Participants had shifted their perspectives on some crucial issues
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Many had become more sceptical that global warming was a very
serious issue (media coverage claiming that it was a natural occurrence)
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They accepted that human influence was responsible for the
acceleration of climate change
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A heightened awareness of consumers’ role in creating emissions
(acknowledging that industry is not the main polluter)
•
Greater awareness that current energy resources would run out
and a resultant desire to be more energy efficient
•
Surprise and relief that the Government and industry were
implementing energy efficient measures
•
Also a strong sense of distrust and anger that the public had not been
adequately informed of these measures and cynicism around
Government’s motives
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Findings from reconvened workshops (2)
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A feeling that consumers should take more responsibility for
implementing energy efficiency measures
•
All parties - Government, industry and consumers - should play
their parts responsibly
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A strong sense that renewable energy should be developed
•
A feeling of victimisation around the issue of cost for these
measures
•
Participants’ sense of fairness and responsibility - willingness to pay
their share
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WITHDRAWERS
SAVERS
More aware
‘It’s electioneering,
profiteering’
‘We must do
something’
Sophisticated theories
Self assured/directed
Abandoned hope of
transparency
Taking action
voluntarily
Withdrawing
Save the planet
‘It’s a con’
Who can I believe?
Confused/feel powerless
Suspicious
Sceptical
Blaming Government
and
industry
Open to persuasion
Likely to shift position
The majority of participants
DISILLUSIONED
SHIFTERS
Less aware
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WITHDRAWERS
More aware
SAVERS
£50 -100+ per year
The cost is not
excessive in the
bigger scheme of
things
Nothing/up to £15 per
year
A scam but I will pay
something
Also voluntarily taking
out green tariffs
Between £15 - £50 per
year
Depending on my personal
circumstances
Depending on how much I
am persuaded
Nothing
Government and
industry should
shoulder the cost
DISILLUSIONED
SHIFTERS
Less aware
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Willingness to pay for energy efficiency measures
•
A strong sense that Government and suppliers should bear much
of the cost
•
Much distrust around stealth taxes and worries about where the
money would go
•
An acceptance that consumers are also citizens and will have to
shoulder some of the burden of payment
•
Feeling uncomfortable and burdened in the perceived absence of
vision and leadership
•
The amount they were prepared to pay varied by profile
•
We will use this to argue for greater transparency about the costs,
for example via the customers bill
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Future Research Options
• Green tariffs?
• Energy efficiency
– barriers to take-up?
• Switching by PPM / vulnerable customers?
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Conclusion
• Ofgem looking to make more use of deliberative and other
techniques
– to make more use of publicly available information
– spell out consumer impacts on consultation
• New Head of Consumer and Social Policy starting 1 October to
help drive this through
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