An IBM survey claims that the majority of consumers in developed nations are willing to pay more for eco-friendly energy.

Nearly half of consumers surveyed will pay more for environmentally friendly, non-energy products. When it comes to buying "green" energy, two-thirds of consumers are willing to pay more for power that could be definitively shown to have lower emissions of greenhouse gases. Australians are the most likely to want to pay more for green power, but Americans are most willing to pay the most.

Michael Valocchi, Global Energy and Utilities Industry Leader, IBM Global Business Services, said that this is a change from the days when consumers didn't care about energy. This survey suggests that they want to engage and make a more personal connection with it.

The survey also found that the promise of reduced energy costs would impact how and when consumers heat and cool their homes is also a major factor.

The full survey can be found here www.ibm.com/energy/plugin.