Is A Bill-Paying Revolution In Domestic Energy Around The Corner?
One in three energy customers who are on the internet at home would like to pay their gas or electricity bills on-line.
This is one of the key findings from a new MORI study to mark the full opening of the competitive electricity market.
The internet looks set to become central to the operations of energy companies in the near future. It is clearly already an increasingly attractive option for all kinds of transactions. Other recent MORI findings 1 show that 85% of those currently on-line or planning to be would consider making purchases over the internet.
The potential may be even greater for those electricity companies with fixed distribution systems since the survey also shows that half of energy customers (48%) are interested in access to the internet via their electricity cables, if that proves to be a cheaper option.
This new MORI study also examines interest in a range of other options in the competitive energy market, such as special tariffs (green, ethical or non-nuclear), buying your own meter, dual fuel contracts and secondary services, such as insurance and appliance service contracts. In all cases, those customers who are on the internet at home show higher levels of interest than those who are not.
1Survey for Hewlett Packard, February 1999
Technical details
MORI interviewed 2,127 adults aged 15+, including 1,722 domestic bill payers of whom 260 were connected to the internet at home. Fieldwork dates were 21-24 May 1999. Interviewing was conducted by trained MORI interviewers using Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing in 161 systematically-selected sampling points throughout Great Britain. Data are weighted to the GB population profile.
