Dec. 4, 2007 Twelve percent of U.S. adults say they are willing to pay extra for consumer electronics that use less energy or come from a company that is perceived as green, according to a new survey by Forrester Research.

"In Search Of Green Technology Consumers" identified three distinct segments of U.S. technology consumers:

• "Bright greens" (12%) are concerned about the environment and would pay more for consumer electronics products that save energy or come from a company that is environmentally responsible.
• "Green consumers" (41%) share concerns about environmental issues, but would probably not pay more for greener products.
• "Non-greens" (47%) don't share the greens' concerns about the environment or global warming.

Among the major PC brands, Apple's customer base ranked the greenest, with 17% of its customers in the bright green consumer category. HP's Compaq brand came in second, with 13% of its customers in the bright green category.

Many of the major consumer electronic manufacturers have taken early steps to green their operations and products, but so far these efforts have not targeted a particular segment of consumers. The report suggests this may soon change, however.

"We fully expect green technology consumers to further emerge as a target segment for style-conscious electronics manufacturers as the industry moves beyond beige-box design," says Christopher Mines, Forrester Research senior vice president. "Which manufacturer will create the iconic 'Prius' product in consumer electronics? The green leadership position is open."