St. Louis, January 14, 2019 – A new consumer comfort survey* by Emerson (NYSE: EMR) shows that heating and cooling concerns can contribute to family disagreements, lowered productivity and even lost retail sales. This presents an opportunity for contractors to start a comfort conversation with homeowners and facility managers about technology and solutions that can help drive comfort and livability.
Issues like humidity, zoning, and indoor air quality caused 76 percent of respondents to say they aren’t comfortable in their own homes. Nearly 40 percent admitted to having family disagreements about comfortable temperature. And a quarter of respondents say the air in their home causes their allergies to act up.
The same consumers also experienced discomfort at school and work, with 16 percent saying they tried to break into a school or work thermostat to change it themselves. Seventy percent of survey respondents say that their performance at school or work has been affected by discomfort due to heating or cooling. More than half say they have been embarrassed or criticized for voicing their discomfort at work or school.
In damaging news to retailers, 57 percent of consumers surveyed have left a business due to lack of heating and cooling comfort, taking their buying power with them. More than 80 percent have felt too hot or too cold and 54 percent say their allergies have been triggered at a business.
“This survey, while just a sampling of consumer sentiment, shows there are great opportunities for residential and commercial HVAC contractors to have comfort conversations with both homeowners and facility managers,” said Sarah Taylor, marketing communications manager, Air Conditioning, for Emerson’s Commercial and Residential Solutions business. “Technology like modulating compressors, advanced building controls and Wi-Fi thermostats can help bring both comfort and efficiency to consumers where they live, work and shop."
Contractors can learn how to start the comfort conversation with Emerson’s Science of Livability Ebook at Climate.Emerson.com/Livability.
*Emerson surveyed 298 U.S. consumers via Survey Monkey in October 2018.
About Emerson
Emerson (NYSE: EMR), headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri (USA), is a global technology and engineering company providing innovative solutions for customers in industrial, commercial, and residential markets. Our Emerson Automation Solutions business helps process, hybrid, and discrete manufacturers maximize production, protect personnel and the environment while optimizing their energy and operating costs. Our Emerson Commercial and Residential Solutions business helps ensure human comfort and health, protect food quality and safety, advance energy efficiency, and create sustainable infrastructure. For more information visit Emerson.com.
