Energy Pulse Survey-Pretty wins over Environment
Energy Pulse® 5th annual survey conducted by Shelton Group, found consumers is reverting to their old priorities as the recession wanes- perhaps at the expense of the environment.
504 Americans surveyed by telephone in September 2009, were asked, “Assuming you were suddenly given $10,000 to make home improvements, which two of the following would you choose?” The top answers were:
-Refinish the kitchen or bathroom (37%)
-Replace carpet or add hardwood or tile (33%)
-Replace windows (31%)
-Replace HVAC/furnace (23%)
Last year’s top answers were:
-Replace windows (35%)
-Replace HVAC/furnace (27%)
-Remodel kitchen or bathroom (26%)
-Replace carpet or add hardwood or tile (25%)
Among the survey’s other findings:
Consumers are willing to watch their energy bills go up more than 70%, on average, before feeling forced to make energy-efficient home improvements. Respondents said their bills would need to go up an average of $129 a month to make them undertake
The survey asked, “How likely would you be to buy a solar electricity system for your home, knowing that a mid-size system that would provide around 63% of the average household’s electricity, costs $35,000 to $40,000 that could be offset by a $2,000 federal tax incentive along with additional rebates in many states.”
Twenty-eight percent said they would be likely or very likely to buy such a system. Fewer than 1% reported they already had such a system.
Consumers have good intentions. Surveys over the past five years, including this year, show consistently large discrepancies between intentions and actions. Every year, for example, around 20% or more consumers say they’re planning to get an energy audit, yet the percentage of U.S. homeowners who’ve actually gotten one has languished in the 10-15% range.
“That’s why we now refer to home energy audits as the ‘colonoscopy’ of energy efficiency – Everyone knows they should get one, but too few actually do,” said Suzanne Shelton, whose firm conducted the study.
