Morning Consult conducted a poll of more than 2,000 Americans to see what they want from their electricity. The takeaway: American households need and expect reliable, affordable power every day—and they want markets to deliver it.
The results provide a clear road map for policymakers and show that consumers expect reliable and cost-effective power first, ahead of other objectives.
Download the full fact sheet here.
A plurality of Americans across party lines say U.S. policymakers should be doing more to ensure reliability, with 70 percent of American voters agreeing that reliable electricity should not be sacrificed for new laws and regulations aimed at addressing climate change.
See where consumers rank reliability
Consumers rank reliability ahead of all other concerns for their home electricity supply. More than three-fourths of consumers cite reliability to affordability as their first priority.
Concern about power outages
Two-thirds of consumers express concern about the possibility of power outages this summer, and concerns about reliability are greater this year than last.
Concern about affordability
Three-fourths of adults are worried about their electric bills rising in the months ahead, with a strong majority voicing concern about the potential for proposed EPA rules on power plant emissions to drive prices higher.
Most adults agree U.S. policymakers should be doing more to ensure electric reliability amid the transition to lower emitting energy sources.
Consumers express a clear preference for competitive power markets over energy monopolies, and more than half cite lower prices as the reason.
Competitive Wholesale Electricity Markets Nationwide
More than 20 years ago, competitive wholesale electricity markets were established in many parts of the U.S. to help reduce power generation costs, increase competition and provide choice for consumers. Since then, these markets have consistently driven innovation, enhanced efficiency and reduced costs. This new competitive era replaced an inflexible, vertically-integrated utility model that was costly and failed to advance the power sector.
As competitive power suppliers, EPSA members have since delivered substantial economic benefits to consumers and businesses – by quickly adapting and investing in cleaner, lower-cost, efficient resources needed to support a reliable grid, in addition to natural gas, geothermal, and wind and solar resources.
