In
late March through April of this year, Plano Senior High School (PSHS) Advanced
Placement Environment Science (APES) classes participated in a homework
assignment with their families to complete a survey about solar energy. The survey
was completed by over 150 respondents. This is the second year that the APES classes
have participated in the survey.
The
purpose of the survey was to obtain a sampling of the views of residents
regarding their awareness, interests, concerns, and potential barriers to
deployment of solar energy in Plano. The survey consisted of approximately 35
questions. These questions were mostly the same as those from last year, which
were a compilation obtained from citizen surveys performed in Houston, San
Antonio, and Austin over the last few years. The results from this local survey
sample were somewhat similar to the results of the other Texas cities.
Here
is a sample of some of the questions and local results:
- Which of the following concern you
about the future of energy and the environment?
- top responses
- increased energy prices; decreased availability of energy; climate
change (same as last year)
- How concerned are you about future
energy prices?
- 91% responded
either very concerned or somewhat concerned (slightly down from 95% last year)
- How likely are you to invest in solar
power for your home or to buy a home with solar power already installed?
- 55% responded
either very likely or somewhat likely (same
as last year)
- How much of a factor is cost in
purchasing and installing a solar power system?
- 80% responded
either very important or important (down
from 95% last year)
Other
responses indicated:
- 72% were not aware of existing solar
rebates or tax credits (67% last
year)
- Aside from the concern of cost, the
top three reasons cited for not having pursued installation of a solar power
system were the same as last year, with a slightly different order of
these type three responses.
- Don't know
where to buy it (#2 last
year)
- Don't know
who would install it (#3 last
year)
- Lack of
confidence in selecting the proper system (#1 last year)
When
asked how many people in Plano the respondent knew that already had solar energy
installed, the responses were:
·
63%
None 64% last year
·
26%
One 23% last year
·
8% Two-three 12% last year
·
3% More
than three 1% last year
Also,
in this year’s survey, we added a few questions regarding the respondents’ regular
energy consumption, awareness of advanced, or smart meters, and online energy
usage monitoring.
For
the approximate average monthly electricity usage, the two answers most
selected by respondents were 1000-1500 kWh or 1500-2000 kWh. However, 16% responded that they didn’t know.
For
the estimated peak monthly usage over the year, the answer with the most
responses was 2000-3000 kWh. However, on
this question 20% responded they didn’t know.
For
the question - Do you have a "smart" electric meter installed at your
location?
30% Yes
40% No
30% Don’t Know
For
the 30% that answered ‘Yes’ to having a smart meter installed, 16% of those had
signed up at www.smartmetertexas.com to manage and track their electricity
usage. However, this represented only 7% of the total respondents.
As
mentioned earlier in this article, this sample survey completed by the group of
students' families from PSHS was intended to obtain a better understanding of
the current views and concerns of residents. While this survey represented only
a sample of Plano residents, hopefully these results and those from last year’s
survey will help facilitate the implementation of a wider survey of local
residents. The results from a wider survey could enable interested citizens
groups to create action plans to communicate opportunities about the great
potential over the coming years of expanding the deployment of solar energy
right here in Plano.
And again
this year, SPECIAL THANKS to the APES teachers and students at Plano Senior
High School for their involvement in the process and participation in the
survey!
Plano Solar Energy Advocate (LH)
