A growth spurt of distributed energy (DE) technology is occurring in the residential market, according to a recent consumer survey by Energy Insights (Framingham, Massachusetts, U.S.), an IDC company. Of the 1119 U.S. consumers surveyed, 51% of respondents are interested in acquiring backup generation for their primary residence in the next two years, and 47% express interest in base-load generation, such as on-site generation equipment to provide all of the power for the home on a regular basis, according to the study.

“U.S. households purchased a record 1.7 million backup generators from April 2005 through March of this year for their primary residences,” observed Nick Lenssen, Energy Insights' program director of distributed and renewable energy. “Given homeowners' anxiety due to many weather-related outages — particularly those in the Southeastern United States recently — it's no surprise to us that consumers are seeking more reliable power for their increasingly energy-dependent homes.”

When asked to identify the top three reasons for interest in acquiring base-load generation equipment, survey respondents cited worries about outages or blackouts as number one. Saving money on energy bills ranked second, while independence from an electric utility was third.