This may surprise some electronics buffs, but a new study shows that most shoppers of consumer electronics want energy-saving products. Energy efficiency ranked first among priorities selected by 10,000 electronics consumers, according to a GreenFactor study done by Strategic Oxygen and Cohn & Wolfe during September and October.

So … er … why aren’t we being besieged with energy-efficient electronics this holiday season? And why aren’t people buying more of them?

The survey says the number one barrier to green sales of consumer electronics in the United States is “lack of awareness” (53-percent). That is, brands are not adequately educating consumers on the energy savings and other environmentally-friendly aspects of their products. The number two barrier to purchase is price (45-percent).

Consumers still are reticent to pay premiums for green gadgets:

• 57-percent say they do not expect to pay premiums and are not willing to pay.
• Only 15-percent of consumers say they are expecting premiums for green products and are willing to pay.
• However, 54-percent of 25- to-34-year-olds say they are willing to pay more for green technology, while 23-percent of those 65 and older say a green electronics approach is not important to them.

GreenFactor research revealed consumer priorities for purchasing green electronics:

• The green-ness of HDTVs (64 percent), desktops computers (64 percent), notebooks (63 percent) and printers (60 percent) is very or somewhat important to consumers.
• Consumers are less interested in purchasing smaller green electronics, which may be perceived as consuming less energy to use and produce. GPS (51 percent), digital cameras (53 percent) and media players (53 percent) are at the bottom of the list of green priorities.

In addition, information on a product’s packaging (33 percent) is twice as important to consumers as a product’s design (12 percent) in assessing technology “green-ness.”

Steven Castle - Contributing Writer

Steven Castle is Electronic House's managing editor. he has been writing about consumer electronics, homes and energy efficiency topics for two decades. He is also the co-founder of GreenTech Advocates.