By Mark Gongloff, WSJ Energy Roundup Blog

Maybe there haven’t been enough Live Earth concerts. Maybe a weakening economy and turbulent markets have people pinching pennies. Maybe there have been too many Live Earth concerts. Whatever the reason, consumers may be souring on the idea of “going green,” if a new survey is any indication. Just 69% of the 504 consumers polled in August by Shelton Group, a Knoxville, Tenn., marketing firm, would favor one house over another based on energy efficiency, down from 86% a year ago.

“Even with all the talk today about consumers seeking to save energy costs and help the environment, the shaky housing market and other recent economic uncertainties prove that wallets are still driving many Americans’ green purchase decisions,” Shelton Group CEO Suzanne Shelton said in a press release. “As it stands, ‘energy-efficient’ is consistently equated to ‘more expensive’ in the minds of consumers for products across the board,” Shelton said.

The full survey results are due for release on Oct. 8. Without offering any details, the Shelton Group warned that companies engaging in “greenwashing” — making themselves look environmentally friendly without doing much to actually help the environment — should beware. “[C]ompanies jumping on the green-friendly bandwagon but failing to make the grade as environmentally responsible in all aspects of their products and operations face both a skeptical public and potential credibility problems,” the group said in its press release.  Read more here.