It is a case of good news and bad news. 

The good news is October in the U.S. is officially National Energy Awareness Month. The bad news is U.S. consumers found that despite most Americans buying energy efficient appliances and making home improvements, “More than 60% of the respondents said they were not aware of “any current tax rebates and/or incentives for energy efficient upgrades in their area” offered by the local, state or federal governments or local utilities,” according to a recently released survey done by Harris Interactive (News - Alert) for Emerson.

The survey, conducted in September 2011 among a nationwide cross section of 1,007 adults (aged 18 and over), contains in its highlights some disquieting findings among respondents:

-          61 percent are unaware of any current tax rebates and/or incentives for energy-efficient home upgrades in their area.

-          71 percent had not taken advantage of an energy-efficient upgrade rebate or incentive within the past year.

-          66 percent switched to compact fluorescent light bulbs to make their home more energy efficient, while 53 percent selected Energy Star appliances.

-          31 percent noted cost as the number one barrier to investing in energy-efficient products or upgrades.

-          67 percent would be willing to invest up to $5,000 in a home energy upgrade if it paid for itself in six months. 

-          29 percent said they were willing to invest the same amount if the return on investment spanned 10 years.

-          51 percent would be willing to spend up to $500 on a home energy-efficient upgrade if they knew it would pay for itself in two years.

-          Only 12 percent would be willing to invest more than $2,000.

-          30 percent said they were “somewhat to very likely” to change the air filters in their heater/AC on a monthly basis in the next year.

In line with other postings on TMCnet regarding smart grids and smart meters, and based on today’s call to action by the cellular industry for better consumer education by all stakeholders in the benefits of smart wireless-enabled infrastructure, the lack of consumer awareness of various types of incentives and the benefits of moving toward smarter solutions is a common thread.

On the energy front, Emerson (News - Alert) has generously provided a link to DSIREusa.org, a third-party website operated since 1995 by the North Carolina Solar Center at North Carolina State University and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, that spells out available tax rebates and incentives by state, county and city governments.   Not a bad link for readers to put into their Tweet, Link-In and put on Google+ and Facebook (News - Alert) accounts. 

Better yet, not a bad link for the industry and various governments to contemplate.   National Energy Awareness Month? Who knew? It is apparent that is precisely the problem.

Peter Bernstein is a technology industry veteran, having worked in multiple capacities with several of the industry's biggest brands, including Avaya, Alcatel-Lucent, Telcordia, HP, Siemens, Nortel (News - Alert), France Telecom, and others, and having served on the Advisory Boards of 15 technology startups. To read more of Peter's work, please visit his columnist page.