ACCES Quarterly Consumer Education Update: Executive Summary: The Power of Choice: Consumer Preferences on Energy Choice in Ohio and Florida

Earlier this month, ACCES released the results of a consumer survey, and accompanying white paper, which measured awareness and understanding of energy choice in Ohio and Florida. On June 7, ACCES hosted a webinar entitled, “The Power of Choice: Consumer Preferences on Energy Choice in Ohio and Florida,” to discuss the research. The webinar highlighted the survey findings including that nearly three-quarters of energy consumers would like to see innovation and competition balanced with consumer protection, and that more than two-thirds of Ohio energy consumers believe prices consumers pay for natural gas and electricity are better controlled by competition. The survey found that 78% of Florida energy consumers believe consumers should be given competitive choices to meet their energy needs. Overall, the survey found that consumers value choice.
 
The Power of Choice launch was covered in traditional media, including the industry trade publication, Energy Choice Matters, and the Pensacola News Journal, by energy and environmental groups, including the Audubon Society, and on social media.  
 
A recording of our webinar is available here, and a copy of the slides are available here.
 
Executive Summary
 
The American Coalition of Competitive Energy Suppliers (ACCES) believes understanding consumer preferences is vital to effective public policy on energy choice. To gauge the current thinking of consumers regarding energy choice in a changing environment, ACCES sponsored an independent consumer opinion survey in early 2017 to measure awareness and understanding of energy choice in Ohio, a competitive energy market; and in Florida, a non-competitive market.
 
The survey found that consumers are overwhelmingly in favor of choice. Seventy-one percent of Ohio respondents describe competitive choice as either extremely important
or very important in certain aspects of their lives. Competitive choice for consumers was extremely important or very important to 80% of those respondents in Florida (a state that does not allow choice), and 78% of Florida energy consumers believe consumers should be given competitive choices to meet their energy needs.
 
While price remains an important factor that consumers consider in their decision-making, the survey results demonstrate that a variety of other factors play a significant role in shaping consumer energy preferences and their definition of value. These include lower energy rates (savings), fixed-term agreements, support for renewable energy, access to energy efficiency products and services, and other benefits that the consumer may receive versus consumers who obtain traditional service from utilities in regulated markets. Consumers recognize value in a competitive market beyond cost savings alone.
 
 Results from this study indicate that where competitive markets do not exist, customers are eager to have more energy choices available to them. The survey also suggests that customers in states with retail energy competition strongly support maintaining their existing choices for their energy use.
 
For these reasons, ACCES urges officials to follow consumers’ lead and keep energy market policies flexible and adaptable to ever-evolving preferences, while maintaining sensible consumer protections.
 
Download a full copy of our white paper here. For continued information and updates on ACCES’ consumer outreach, please visit our website,  http://competitiveenergy.org/, and follow us on twitter @EnergyACCES.  
 
Enjoy your summer!

-The ACCES team