Almost two-thirds (61%) of Australians believe the transition to renewables will be good for Australia overall, a new Energy Consumers Australia survey of more than 4,000 householders has found.
However, the Consumer Energy Report Card, released today, also shows that few consumers feel they understand what the transition means for them personally, with only 1 in 5 (20%) agreeing that ‘how the energy transition will affect households like theirs’ has been clearly explained to them.
Most householders believe the energy transition will be good for the environment, their local community and Australia as a whole, but just 1 in 4 (26%) feel confident that the country has a well-planned approach to managing the transition.
The research also shows consumers are split over whether the transition to renewables will lower bills in the short term (36% think it will, 34% think it won’t), but they are more positive that the transition will be good for electricity prices in the long term (45% think it will lower bills long term, 28% disagree).
“Australians feel positive about the transition to renewable energy and believe it will be a good thing for the country – and more than half say they understand why Australia is making the change. They are much less certain about what it means for them and their families, with most believing this is yet to be clearly explained,” Energy Consumers Australia CEO Dr Brendan French said.
“People need the right information at the right time, from sources they trust, in order to understand what is coming and what they can do to benefit from it. Without this information, Australians are understandably uncertain, and the risk is we won’t see the uptake of Consumer Energy Resources (household batteries, EVs etc), energy efficiency upgrades, and changing patterns of energy use the industry assumes will happen during the energy transition.
“Energy Consumers Australia is calling for a comprehensive, trusted and well-publicised One Stop Shop so consumers can quickly search online for help finding efficient appliances, installing hot water heat pumps, charging an EV, insulating their homes, saving money on their energy bills, and so much more.”
While about 40% of households express interest in electric vehicles (EVs), interest levels vary significantly across jurisdictions. Households in the ACT and Victoria show the highest interest (55% and 43%). By contrast, only 33% of households in Queensland and 31% in South Australia are interested in the technology.
“Modelling we commissioned last year from CSIRO shows that EVs will drive down electricity bills for everyone, not only the people who own them,” Dr French said. “Ensuring all consumers can use, charge, and pay for electric vehicles conveniently and fairly will help them save money on their energy bills so we need to remove barriers to ensure EV charging is possible.”
The Consumer Energy Report Card research was conducted by SEC Newgate for Energy Consumers Australia. Click here to read the latest Consumer Energy Report Card or access the survey data here.
Energy Consumers Australia will be releasing in-depth analysis on consumer trends over the coming months on specific topics including electrification and pricing. To register your interest in receiving these, or to request interviews with the Energy Consumers Australia team, contact Stuart Turner via email or phone 0415 403 208.
About Energy Consumers Australia
Energy Consumers Australia is the independent, national voice for residential and small business energy consumers. We enable residential and small business energy consumers to have their voices heard.