NEW YORK — More than half of global energy consumers would consider installing connected-home solutions or solar panels in the next five years, according to a new survey by Accenture.

Interest in connected-home products and services such as energy management and other monitoring and control solutions is projected to rise from 7 percent to 57 percent in the next five years, due to the expectation that they will help reduce energy bills, increase comfort and convenience, and enable remote control of home devices.

Customer interest in solar panel installations is expected to increase six fold in the next five years, driven predominantly by a desire for energy independence, but also by the availability of subsidies and the ability to reduce environmental footprint.

“While specialized providers are consumers’ default choice for solar panels and connected-home solutions, energy providers are currently a very close second,” said Greg Guthridge, managing director in Accenture’s utilities industry group. “Despite moving into the home energy market, big-box retailers, phone and cable companies, and online retailers rank much lower.

“In these nascent, rapidly expanding, and converging markets, the opportunity to capture market share is a wide-open field. Success will come down to those providers who perfect the digital customer experience,” he added.

For more information, visit www.accenture.com.

Publication date: 6/30/2014 

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