City partners with NCC to conduct Smart Grid survey

Survey Results Show City's Eco-Friendly Utility Customers Informed About this Exciting Initiative

As the City of Naperville moves forward with implementing the Naperville Smart Grid Initiative (NSGI), the City has partnered with North Central College to gauge utility customers' existing knowledge and current perceptions of the NSGI.

This spring, four students from Associate Professor of Marketing and Director of the Center for Research at North Central College Dr. Mary Galvan's Market Research class conducted a survey of 1,000 randomly selected Naperville utility customers to ask if they had heard about the smart grid, whether they understood the benefits, what their satisfaction was with the City-owned electric utility and more.

More than 200 people responded to the survey, with 81 percent indicating they are already aware of the smart grid project. Sixty-six percent of respondents knew Naperville's utility rates are much lower than surrounding communities, and more than half said they already monitor how much electricity they use in a given month. Out of the 213 respondents, 180 agreed they would like to be able to monitor the cost of their household's electrical usage. Eighty-one percent said they are already taking steps to lower their monthly electric bill.

“The City is extremely impressed with the professionalism and dedication shown by students Frank Cataudella, Joelle Lusson, Andrew Mueller and Chris Rivard,” Community Relations Manager Nadja Lalvani said. “To partner with North Central College, a cherished and respected Naperville institution in its 150th year, and have such a tremendous response to the survey is outstanding. We look forward to future research opportunities as the NSGI moves into new phases.”

A summary of the survey results is now available on the city's website at www.naperville.il.us/smartgrid.aspx.

For more information on the NSGI and the future of electricity, visit www.naperville.il.us/smartgrid.aspx. Sign up to receive the latest news on the NSGI via e-mail at www.naperville.il.us/enews.aspx. For more information on the City of Naperville, visit www.naperville.il.us.