Green Appliances Are Hot in Both Warm and Cold Cities

NEW YORK, March 23 /PRNewswire/ -- The government's "Cash for Appliances" program is underway, and American consumers are taking advantage of rebates by turning in their older appliances for newer, more energy-efficient ones.  

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Consumer research firm Scarborough Research examined households that have an "energy-saving" (or "green") appliance. On a local level, Honolulu, HI; Green Bay, WI; Portland, OR and San Francisco, CA are the leading cities for green appliance households. Forty percent of households in Honolulu and Green Bay have energy-saving appliances, as do 39 percent of those in Portland and 38 percent of those in San Francisco. Nationally, about one-third (32 percent) of households currently have a green appliance.

Energy-saving appliance owners* apply green living techniques to other areas of their lives. They are 31 percent more likely to eat organic food. They also enjoy outdoor activities such as running, biking, hiking, camping and fishing. Energy saving appliance owners are 21 percent more likely to garden.

In fact, a love of the outdoors is a common trait across all of the top local markets for Green Appliance owners. The activities they engage may vary by city. Green Bay and Portland adults are more likely to enjoy biking, whereas those in Honolulu and San Francisco prefer jogging – but all are active adults. One leisure activity these cities have in common is hiking – they are all more likely than total adults to enjoy this activity.

"As it picks up speed, the 'Cash for Appliance' program should encourage consumer shopping at big box retailers at localities everywhere," said Howard Goldberg, senior vice president, Scarborough Research. "Not only do these retailers have opportunity to cash-in on the incentive, but local media outlets and marketing agencies can help them create unique promotions to target shoppers. Understanding green shoppers locally – such as details on their personal activities – can refine that target even more."

Cash for Appliance shoppers could be looking for a deal as they are avid coupon users. According to Scarborough, energy-efficient appliance owners are 20 percent more likely than other adults to live in a household that uses coupons for non-grocery products and services twice a month or more. The Sunday newspaper is their leading source for coupons. More than half (55 percent) of these adults live in a household that typically gets coupons from the Sunday newspaper. However, they are 33 percent more likely to get coupons via email or text message.

Demographically, energy saving appliance owners tend to be married and have children. Adults who live in a household that currently owns a green appliance are ten percent more likely than average to have two or more children and 14 percent more likely to be married.  While they cross all ages, energy saving appliance owners are 12 percent more likely to be Generation Xers (ages 30-44).

Scarborough Research will be adding additional green-oriented measurements to its 2010 Release 1 local market and national studies, which begin rollout in April. For additional information on green appliance owners or other local consumer insights from Scarborough, please contact Julie O'Donnell at 678-455-6213 or via email at [email protected].

The source for the data in this press release is Scarborough Research, Scarborough USA+ Study, Release 2 2009.

Top Local Markets for Energy Saving Appliance Households (DMA, State, %)

Honolulu, HI, 40%

Green Bay/Appleton, WI, 40%

Portland, OR, 39%

San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose, CA, 38%

Richmond/Petersburg, VA, 37%

Charlotte, NC, 37%

Sacramento/Stockton/Modesto, CA, 36%

Albany/Schenectady/Troy, NY, 36%

Milwaukee, WI, 36%

Bakersfield, CA,  36%

New Orleans, LA, 36%

Grand Rapids/Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, MI, 35%

Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville/Anderson, SC, 35%

Orlando/Daytona Beach/Melbourne, FL, 35%

Fresno/Visalia, CA, 35%

Baltimore, MD, 35%

Philadelphia, PA, 34%

Albuquerque/Santa Fe, NM, 34%

Jacksonville, FL, 34%

Raleigh/Durham, NC, 34%

Mobile, AL/Pensacola, FL, 34%

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA, 34%

Washington, D.C. 34%

West Palm Beach/Fort Pierce, FL, 34%

Atlanta, GA, 34%

Providence/New Bedford, RI, 33%

Seattle/Tacoma, WA, 33%

Los Angeles, CA, 33%

San Diego, CA, 33%

Norfolk/Portsmouth/Newport News, VA, 33%

Austin, TX, 33%

Phoenix, AZ, 33%

Spokane, WA, 33%

Little Rock/Pine Bluff, AR, 33%

Flint/Saginaw/Bay City, MI, 33%

Syracuse, NY, 33%

Knoxville, TN, 32%

Fort Myers/Naples, FL, 32%

Charleston/Huntington, WV, 32%

Salt Lake City, UT, 32%

Detroit, MI, 32%

Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem, NC, 32%

Birmingham, AL, 32%

San Antonio, TX, 32%

Harrisburg/Lancaster/Lebanon/York, PA, 32%

Des Moines/Ames, IA, 32%

Toledo, OH, 32%

Roanoke/Lynchburg, VA, 31%

Denver, CO, 31%

Dayton, OH, 31%

Dallas/Fort Worth, TX, 31%

Kansas City, MO, 31%

Boston, MA, 31%

Pittsburgh, PA, 31%

Rochester, NY, 31%

Colorado Springs/Pueblo, CO, 31%

Lexington, KY, 30%

St. Louis, MO, 30%

Houston, TX, 30%

Louisville, KY, 29%

Columbus, OH, 29%

New York, NY, 29%

Chicago, IL, 29%

Indianapolis, IN, 29%

Tulsa, OK, 28%

Nashville, TN, 28%

Tampa/St.Petersburg, FL, 28%

Oklahoma City. OK, 28%

Wichita/Hutchinson, KS, 28%

Cleveland/Akron, OH, 27%

Tucson, AZ, 27%

Hartford/New Haven, CT, 27%

Chattanooga, TN, 26%

Memphis, TN, 26%

Cincinnati, OH, 26%

Miami/Ft.Lauderdale, FL, 26%

Buffalo, NY, 24%

El Paso, TX, 23%

Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN, 21%

Las Vegas, NV, 18%

Harlingen/Weslaco/Brownsville/McAllen, TX, 18%

*Energy saving appliance owners and green appliance owners are those adults who live in a household that has this type of appliance.

SOURCE: Scarborough Research, Scarborough USA+ Study, Release 2 2009

About Scarborough Research

Scarborough Research (www.scarborough.com, [email protected]) measures the lifestyle and shopping patterns, media behaviors and demographics of American consumers, and is considered the authority on local market research. Scarborough's core syndicated consumer insight studies in 77 Top-Tier Markets, its Multi-Market Study and its national USA+ Study are Media Rating Council (MRC) accredited. Other products and services include Scarborough Mid-Tier Local Market Studies, Hispanic Studies and Custom Research Solutions. Scarborough measures 2,000 consumer categories and serves a broad client base that includes marketers, advertising agencies, print and electronic media (broadcast and cable television, radio stations), sports teams and leagues and out-of-home media companies. Surveying more than 210,000 adults annually, Scarborough is a joint venture between Arbitron Inc. (www.arbitron.com) and The Nielsen Company (www.nielsen.com).

SOURCE Scarborough Research