Sustainability is a major topic in building construction and a trend that has significant influence on the installation sector. As we saw in a previous article, electrical installers are kept busy installing sustainable solutions like energy-saving LED lighting or energy-producing PV solutions. However, we also saw that sustainability is not equally apparent in installation projects in all seven countries researched for USP Marketing Consultancy’s European Electrical Installation Monitor.
In the Netherlands, the UK and Spain, sustainability plays a role in about half of the projects of electrical installers. Sustainability is taken into account the least in France (36% of installation projects) and especially Germany (only 26%). As is apparent in the results of the Q1 2022 report of European Electrical Installation Monitor, these lower shares are by no means the fault of the installers.
In Poland, 57% of installers either agree or strongly agree with the statement that they actively promote sustainable solutions, which is the lowest of all countries. In the Netherlands and Spain, countries with the highest share of installation projects in which sustainability plays a role, 64 % claim to do the same.
In Germany, France and Belgium, however, the share of installers actively promoting sustainable solutions is the highest, as 72% either agree or agree strongly with the statement. With an average of 44% of installation projects in which sustainability is taken into account in Belgium, the promotion efforts of installers seem to yield result. But as was mentioned before, that is less the case in France, and especially in Germany.
Good news for manufacturers of sustainable installation products
Almost three quarters of German installers claim to actively promote sustainable solutions. On top of that, 60% of German installers state that they integrate sustainability calculations in proposals to clients. In the end, sustainability plays a role in only just over a quarter of German installation projects.
These results reveal an opportunity for manufacturers and brands of sustainable installation products and solutions. First of all, there is still a lot to be gained from sustainable solutions in the German market, as sustainability is only taken into account in a quarter of projects so far, and the vast majority of German installers expect demand for sustainable products to rise.
Secondly, as the above results show, the majority of those installers is happily promoting those sustainable products to their clients. By providing the right materials and information to help installers promote their solutions more effectively, brands may gain awareness, preference and market share in one strategic move. For a full overview of installers’ experience with and opinions on sustainability and sustainable installation products in seven European countries, we refer you to the Q1 2022 report USP Marketing Consultancy’s European Electrical Installation Monitor.
