Energy saving advice could drive white goods sales, says Energy Saving Trust

Energy Saving Trust has unveiled research which reveals 41% of consumers are more likely to buy white and brown goods if they provide information or advice on how to use less energy.

Despite this, manufacturers of white and brown goods are less likely than manufacturers of lighting, heating and domestic renewables to state that sustainability was fundamental to their brand.

Across all domestic product sectors almost half (52%) of manufacturers do not promote their sustainability credentials or the energy saving benefits of their products, the Trust adds.

The research was undertaken in two phases. The first phase consisted of 188 interviews conducted by Accent, a research specialist, with senior marketing and communications representative across domestic business sectors: energy retail, water retail, general retail, manufacturers of white and brown goods, heating and renewable providers and house builders. Phase two consisted of a representative UK survey of 2225 consumers conducted by Ipsos MORI.

The research also uncovers that 77% of companies that sell household appliances, products and technologies do not get their products independently verified and yet 60-70% of consumers are more likely to purchase a household appliance if it displays a logo, kite mark or independent endorsement to certify their energy saving claims. Of the companies researched, washing machines (68%), freezers and fridges (66%) and fridge freezers (67%) were the most likely to be bought by consumers if they came with an independent logo, kite mark, name or endorsement.

Energy Saving Trust commercial director Damian Coulton commented: “We have a long track-record of working with major consumer brands around energy saving messaging and verifying claims made. Our latest research looks at marketing and communications trends being adopted by companies and the impact this is having on consumers.

“What surprised us the most is that more than three quarters of companies do not get their products independently verified and yet the research suggests that most consumers will be more likely to buy if they do. We believe that this could be a missed opportunity for many companies.”