A new report on consumer perceptions of clean technologies in residential areas finds that 54 percent of the respondents surveyed have not adopted some form of cleantech largely because they don't understand it.

The survey was conducted by EcoAlign, a marketing agency that concentrates on the environment and energy sector.

Asked to rate cleantech products, most non-adopters considered the products expensive (53 percent), difficult to understand (72 percent), and difficult to maintain (76 percent).

Cleantech adopters surveyed agreed with these assessments, though their negative scores were 10 percentage points lower.

60 percent of adopters also said they found the technology reliable, but only 44 percent considered the products beautiful.

"It is almost as if consumers are holding their noses to take medicine they perceive to taste awful but is necessary to bring the fever down," wrote report author Dana Cogar, EcoAlign's Research Director.

With the exception of small wind turbine installations, over 70 percent of respondents said they wouldn't be concerned should their neighbors plan to install green products such as energy efficient lights and solar panels. Those who were concerned about such installations cited noise, appearance and property values as their reasons.

A previous EcoAlign survey in November asked consumers if they understood the language companies used to promote their products. The results suggested a need for clearer communication.

For example, when asked to match terms with the correct definitions, 28 percent of respondents correctly defined "energy conservation," but another quarter confused it with "demand response."

Each EcoAlign survey involved 1,000 respondents representing the United States population in age, gender, region and ethnicity.

For more information on the survey, go here [1].