How do Australians feel about their energy service? Do they believe it represents value for money? How are the ways they think about and use energy changing?
The Energy Consumer Sentiment Survey (ECSS) is the most comprehensive ongoing research study of the attitudes and activity of residential and small business energy consumers in Australia. Energy Consumers Australia has been conducting the survey twice each year since July 2016.
This time around you can expect to see some exciting new changes that will make it easier to find, explore and share the results that interest you.
What has changed?
Our latest survey will be published on a new, interactive website. Instead of the previous static report, you will now be able to easily browse through the key results, quickly find the information you need and even create your own graphs. With the ability to isolate the information you care about you can also identify and share different trends.
Calling it splits
The format of the survey has also changed. To strengthen the insights generated by our survey we have split it into two. As well as the sentiment survey you’ve come to know and appreciate we are introducing a behaviour survey, featuring questions around how people use energy, now and in the future.
Some questions have been moved from the sentiment survey to the behaviour one to make this change possible and new questions – delivering fresh insights – have been designed and added in. We’ve also added in some questions to help inform the Digital Energy Futures project that we’ve partnered on with Monash University.
Splitting the survey into two means that the overall product will be more responsive and relevant to the way Australian energy consumers live, taking into account questions and issues that matter to them today and into the future. The sentiment and behaviour surveys will be published separately, with the ECSS released in June and December each year and the Energy Consumer Behaviour Survey (ECBS) to be made public in the third quarter of this year.
Why ECSS Matters
Our report is used by government, consumer advocates, policy makers, regulators and energy networks, retailers and academics (among others) as a window into the mood of consumers when it comes to energy. The survey tracks changes in sentiment over time and detects trends that can inform energy market and policy development in the long-term interests of consumers.
What was the process?
We periodically review the ECSS to ensure it continue to meet stakeholders’ requirements, and to make sure we deliver a product packed with helpful insights. In this case, users have spoken. Moving to an online, easily navigated report was a key takeaway from our review process. We listened to this feedback and are now excited to be bringing you a new-look survey that is easier to use and better suited to the ways we manage and share information today.
By modernizing how we present the data, stakeholders can focus on the information that matters to them.
When will we see the new microsite?
Our microsite and accompanying results for our latest ECSS will go live on Wednesday June 23. You can now view it here.
Where can we go for more information?
For more information and to see all of our previous ECSS reports visit our Energy Consumer Sentiment Survey page here.