National study of more than 6,700 Americans shows millions of households are closer to adopting clean energy than previously believed

SAN FRANCISCO, March 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Clean energy technology has never been better. It's cheaper, faster and more widely available.

And yet adoption remains stubbornly slow.

Incentives are no longer reliable growth engines. The most motivated early adopters have already acted. Policy tailwinds no longer mask structural inefficiencies in how the industry identifies and converts customers.

Switch 5, a new decision intelligence company founded by longtime energy and behavior-change operators, believes the problem isn't cost, product quality or eligibility. It's how the market understands people.

After analyzing more than 6,700 U.S. consumers in one of the largest studies of its kind, the company developed the Clean Energy Readiness Framework, a new way of organizing the market around readiness to purchase rather than home eligibility.

The findings are detailed in the Clean Energy Readiness Report, with an executive summary available publicly. The framework helps power Switch 5's Readiness Platform, which helps organizations identify and convert households most likely to adopt clean energy in the near term.

The research challenges one of the industry's core assumptions: that clean energy adoption is primarily a function of economics, access and awareness. Instead, the data suggests the primary constraint is behavioral.

"Every growth market eventually shifts from expansion to discipline," said Steve McBee, co-founder of Switch 5 and former CEO of NRG Home. "Clean energy is in that moment now. The companies that win will be the ones that understand who is truly ready to act, not just who qualifies on paper. You can target every viable roof in America and still miss the people who are actually prepared to make a decision."

The analysis finds that 18 percent of U.S. households fall into Switch 5's 'Active' segment and are open to installing solar in the next 12 months, more than double the share of homes that have installed solar after more than two decades of industry growth.

At the same time:

• 24 percent of households are actively researching and comparing clean energy options
• 12 percent are exploring but stalled by uncertainty
• 64 percent remain largely disengaged

The implication: demand exists, but most growth strategies are aimed at the wrong signals. For more than a decade, companies have optimized around identifying eligible homes – rooftops, credit scores and geography – rather than identifying ready buyers.

The research also challenges the long-standing narrative that cost is the primary barrier to adoption. While price is cited, behavioral friction, including fear of making the wrong decision, distrust of installers, uncertainty about savings and perceived complexity, often plays a larger role in preventing action.

Tom Scott, co-founder of Switch 5, said the idea for the company emerged from years of conversations with energy executives frustrated by the rising cost of customer acquisition.

"We kept seeing the same pattern," Scott said. "High stated interest. Low follow-through. The industry talks about awareness and incentives, but the real challenge is closing the gap between what people say and what they actually do."

The Readiness Platform operationalizes the framework, using AI-supported decision intelligence to help organizations:

• Identify consumers most likely to convert in the near term
• Diagnose the specific barrier preventing action
• Align messaging and outreach to the next binding constraint
• Deploy resources toward active demand rather than passive interest

Switch 5 recently combined with Northwind Climate, a leading sustainability-focused insights firm with more than two years of consumer data, integrating predictive analytics into the platform and strengthening its ability to move from research insight to applied targeting.

Doug Rubin, co-founder of Switch 5 and founder of Northwind Climate, said the goal is not incremental optimization but structural correction.

"Every growth market eventually reaches a point where expansion alone isn't enough," Rubin said. "The winners are the organizations that become disciplined about where real demand exists and how decisions are actually made."

Switch 5 is initially focused on clean energy but sees applications in any sector where progress depends on people changing behavior.

"We built the system we wished we had," McBee said. "Because the next phase of the energy transition won't be won by better technology. It will be won by better understanding of people."

Switch 5 is headquartered in San Francisco.

About Switch 5
Switch 5 is a decision intelligence company built by operators who have led large-scale energy, commercial and behavior-change campaigns. The company helps organizations identify real demand, understand behavioral barriers and convert intent into action. Its Readiness model reframes markets around people rather than proxies, enabling more disciplined growth in complex, adoption-driven industries. For more information, visit www.switch5.com

Media Contact: 
Sarina Tracy
sarina.tracy@switch5.com

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SOURCE Switch 5