Consumers are taking action. Finally.

Now we’re walking the energy efficiency walk.

Late last year we published an article on “going green”, and how businesses and consumers alike were just talking the talk. They claimed to be efficient, but they weren’t taking major steps. That’s if they were even taking the steps they reported on. We were excited to see that people were interested in efficiency at all. But, we were skeptical.

Now, thanks to an article by Parks Associates, we can be confident that things are looking up for the year. Not only are cities continuing to set benchmarks despite the energy policy freeze, but now 82% of consumers are taking energy saving action.

Yes! That’s exciting!

Typically, when consumers say they’re taking steps, it means turning off lights when leaving a room. Or unplugging computers when they’re off. These are minor savings that barely impact a utility bill. Nearly 60% of surveyed U.S. households engaged in these low level actions, Parks Associates saw.

Now, the fact that people are doing anything is cool. But, what’s really encouraging is that around 15% of homes were tackling bigger issues. Like purchasing new equipment, reinsulating, and even getting home energy audits. This is genuine proof that consumers want to be efficient. It isn’t just talk anymore. And it isn’t just smaller, more effortless steps.

According to Parks Associates, there will be nearly 55m smart home devices distributed throughout U.S. homes by 2020. Coupled with the interest in efficiency and actual steps taken, this bodes well for the future of sustainability in the residential market. Or, at least, for single-family homes.

What about the multifamily market?

Multifamily has been historically behind in the times for most technology. Including smart tech. Apartments get used to not being able to leverage data. Data they don’t have access to anyway. So, they stagnate.

Now is the time for multifamily to step up to the plate. Interest in efficiency is up. Savings are possible. Homeowners are paving the way for the residential market.

Will apartment communities take a chance and pursue efficiency, too?

That’s why we’re here. We want to bring the multifamily market into the current era. We want to help property managers and their residents see their waste, and leverage that data. Before multifamily could get away without taking steps because there weren’t options. Now, there is.

Will they join the rest on the front lines in the battle for efficiency?