Evaluates various circumstances
The conducted survey showed that Lithuanian residents are increasingly interested in their electricity costs and are actively looking for the best offer. Even 54 percent respondents carefully compare the plans of different providers, and 38 percent. compares specific offers – this means that price is one of the most important criteria when choosing a supplier.
However, not only the price determines the choice – 33 percent. of consumers review their old accounts before signing a contract, and 13 percent residents use special internet platforms that automatically compare plans.
Augustas Junevičius, head of the private customer segment of the Enefit company, says that such survey results are positive and show the responsible attitude of Lithuanians to their financial planning.
“The liberal electricity supply market in Lithuania is still quite young, but the residents of our country have already learned to use its advantages and to choose the most suitable one from different suppliers and the plans they offer, taking into account various circumstances”, comments Augustas Junevičius.
According to him, such research data also shows that consumers are becoming more informed, which in turn encourages electricity providers to compete by offering plans that best suit customers’ needs.
“All this ultimately leads to the maturity of the liberal electricity supply market, which will benefit everyone – consumers, competing market players and the state,” notes the head of the private customer segment of the green energy solutions company Enefit.
The study showed that only 7 percent respondents choose a plan without going into details. This may be due to a lack of information or a lack of confidence in one’s ability to compare different offers. In this case, users are recommended to carefully read the contracts, and if you want to save time, contact the suppliers with questions.
Change takes more time
However, the study also revealed less positive habits of electricity consumers in Lithuania. During it, residents were asked to choose between two identical electricity supply plans, only in one case it was specified that green electricity would be supplied, and in the other, simply electricity.
Despite the fact that the price and other conditions of both offers were exactly the same, as much as 45 percent. residents chose so-called “brown” energy.
“When communicating with customers, we often encounter prejudices that green electricity is more expensive or that it is some kind of fraud. These are gang myths. However, all market comparisons show that the prices of suppliers differ very little – at most by a few cents, and sometimes by fractions of a cent. And although electricity flows through the same wires, the method of producing green electricity and its impact on the environment are fundamentally different. So, on the other hand, I am happy that already 55% residents also evaluate this criterion when making a decision,” Augustas Junevičius notes.
Brown energy is usually produced by burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil or gas and is associated with pollution, resource scarcity and geopolitical issues. Green energy, on the other hand, comes from renewable sources such as the sun, wind or water, and is sustainable, clean and independent of fossil fuels.
Paulius Rakštikas, a psychologist and the founder of the “Pause” initiative, says that the fact that a considerable number of people still choose brown energy, even when they have identical offers, is explained by the fact that it is not easy for people to make decisions that require additional effort.
“It is not for nothing that they say that habituation is second nature. If the change does not bring some tangible personal benefit, a part of the population asks, why do it at all? It is better to continue what I have been doing so far,” says P. Rakštikas.
According to him, a wider vision and understanding that green electricity is available requires additional efforts, a conscious reflection on the fact that the choice affects the environment, and the latter is related to various aspects of life: “So some people simply choose simpler solutions that do not require evaluation extra effort.”
Another aspect emphasized by the psychologist is that part of the population may still lack information about the green course and the benefits of green electricity, so it is not easy for them to overcome their skepticism.
Mr. Rakštikas also notes that Lithuania gained independence relatively recently, our society does not live in conditions of freedom for a short time, so residents still think first about their well-being and only then about the environment.
“Our historical heritage seems to play a role. People still strive to take care of their family, their yard, the immediate environment until they feel that they have already done it, they don’t really care what happens further outside the yard. Caring for the environment comes when I, as a person, as a unit of society and community, have already created a certain well-being. Then I start to care that others do as well. Such processes need time, but changes will inevitably happen”, P. Rakštikas is convinced.
Recent studies show that even 35% of consumers are already consciously choosing greener solutions and appreciate the importance of green energy. The solar power sector alone is showing extremely rapid development – over the past five years, the number of producing users has jumped impressively from 3.4 thousand. up to 113 thousand
In August of this year, it was recorded that the total solar and wind power in Lithuania increased more than four times in four years and exceeded the symbolic limit of 3 GW. These green changes contribute to both energy independence and the reduction of electricity prices for Lithuanian residents.
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