Survey: Corporate Leaders Reducing Energy Use
There is a huge shift taking place in the way corporate America is using and thinking about energy, according to the latest survey findings from ChangeWave of Rockville, Md.
The March survey of 1,400 individuals knowledgeable about their company's energy spending, shows more than one-in-five (22 percent) say their company is very concerned about reducing its corporate energy usage and 35 percent say they are somewhat concerned.
The high level of unease over energy usage is helping bring about a transformational shift in U.S. corporate energy consumption -- with one-in-four respondents (26 percent) reporting their company has used less energy than normal over the past six months. By comparison, only 16 percent say they've used more energy.
In a related finding, nearly a quarter of respondents (23 percent) report their company's spending on energy efficiency products and technologies will Increase over the next six months; nearly three-times the percentage that see a decrease (8 percent).
"The perfect storm of rising energy costs and concern over global climate disruption is forcing companies to rethink the most basic ways they use energy," said ChangeWave analyst Joshua Levine.
Overall, corporate use of "off-the-grid" energy technologies is gaining momentum, with 8 percent of respondents saying they now use alternative sources to generate power. Going forward, more than one-in-five (21 percent) say they'll install and make use of alternative energy sources within the next five years.
To get a sense of just how this shift towards greater energy efficiency will be achieved, the survey asked respondents which technologies and products their company uses.
Solar power came in far ahead of all other alternative energy options, both in terms of current corporate usage (51 percent) and future planned users (72 percent). Wind power was relegated to a distant second for current (24 percent) and future users (19 percent).
"Solar's rapid expansion on the corporate energy efficiency front is good news for companies in the solar food chain," said Levine. "Polysilicon producers, solar cell manufacturers, and solar installation firms are all likely beneficiaries of the trend toward the sun."
According to Levine, the companies best positioned to ride this solar energy wave are the major photovoltaics manufacturers like First Solar, SunPower Corp., and Suntech Power Holdings -- each of which are leading the solar industry ever closer to the key metric of alternative energy economics: grid price parity.
ChangeWave runs a proprietary network of more than 15,000 highly qualified business, technology, and medical professionals in leading companies of select industries--credentialed experts who work on the frontline of technological change.