LEHI, Utah, June 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- As we approach
the longest day of the year, a new survey reveals American adults
are eager to harness the sun's energy, with 70 percent saying they
would support a nationwide mandate requiring solar panels to be
installed on all newly built homes. The survey,* conducted by CITE
Research on behalf of Vivint Solar (NYSE: VSLR), a
leading full-service residential solar provider, also revealed
significant others and environmental experts are the most
influential when deciding to install residential solar for the good
of the environment, while politicians are the least influential by
far.
"California was the first state
to pass a solar panel mandate on new homes and it goes into effect
in 2020. We've seen that state often lead the way in establishing
environmental practices nationwide," said David Bywater, CEO of Vivint Solar, which has
installed solar energy systems on more than 160,000 U.S. homes. "We
believe more states will make strides to adopt residential solar
requirements, and it's great to see the vast majority of American
adults support this, even at a nationwide mandate level. With
nearly a million new single-family homes built annually, if all of
them took advantage of solar energy, it would be equivalent to
driving 12 billion fewer miles a year or consuming 12 million fewer
barrels of oil."**
Among those who support a nationwide solar mandate, 32% said
they strongly support it and 38% said they somewhat support it,
while approximately 16% said they somewhat oppose it and
14% said they strongly oppose it. While there was no significant
difference in attitudes between men and women, opinions varied
based on region, age group, homeowner and relationship status
varied. Results showed:
- Support for the measure is highest among younger adults and
decreases with age. The most supportive group is those aged 25-34,
with 74% in favor of it. This is followed by adults 35-44 (73%),
45-54 (71%), 55-64 (66%) and 65+ at 61% in favor.
- While support was strong across the country, those in the West
were the most supportive with 72% in favor. This was closely
followed by 71% in the Northeast, 68% in the South and 67% in the
Midwest.
- When it comes to homeownership, 71% of non-homeowners support a
nationwide solar mandate, with 36% saying they strongly support it.
Among homeowners, 68% of them are supportive, with 29% saying they
strongly support it.
- Relationship-wise, single survey takers showed more support for
the solar mandate, with 73% of them in favor, compared to 68% of
survey takers who are married or living with a partner.
As residential solar is currently optional for existing
homeowners, survey takers were also asked who would most influence
their decision to install solar panels on their home for the good
of the environment. Spouses/significant others proved the most
powerful force, with 58% of survey takers claiming they would be
influenced by them (36% a great deal of influence, and 22% some
influence). Environmental experts were the next most influential,
with 57% saying they would be influenced by their opinion (28% a
great deal of influence, 29% some influence).
Politicians are the least influential, with just 19% of people
saying a political figure would influence their opinion to go solar
for the environmental benefits (6% a great deal of influence, 13%
some influence). And while politicians don't rank highly overall,
data shows the older you get, the less likely you are to be
influenced by them. Among survey takers, the percentage who say
politicians have no influence: 46% for those aged 25-34; 49%
age 35-44; 59% age 45-54; 64% age 55-64, and 73% of those aged 65+.
Comparatively, 29% of those 25-44 claimed politicians would have
some or a great deal of influence, while only 7% of those 65+
stated the same.
Other solar decision influencers include friends (45% influenced
by them), children (36%), other family members (36%) and parents
(34%). Specific to children, the influence is greatest when they
live in the home, where 22% of survey takers say their children
have a great deal of influence, and 29% say they have some
influence.
While partners had the most influence, whether or not the couple
is married makes a difference. Seventy five-percent of people who
are married or living together are influenced by their partner.
However, married couples are more strongly influenced by their
partner, with 51% stating their spouse had a great deal of
influence. This is compared to unmarried partners living together,
with just 45% saying their partner had a great deal of
influence.
For homeowners wishing to learn more about the advantages of
going solar, including energy bill savings, environmental benefits
and 2019 tax credit incentives, visit www.vivintsolar.com.
About Vivint Solar
Vivint Solar is a leading
full-service residential solar provider in the United States. With Vivint Solar,
customers can power their homes with clean, renewable energy and
typically achieve significant financial savings over time. Vivint
Solar designs and installs solar energy systems for its customers
and offers monitoring and maintenance services. In addition to
being able to purchase a solar energy system outright, customers
may benefit from Vivint Solar's affordable, flexible financing
options, including power purchase agreements, or lease agreements,
where available. Vivint Solar also offers solar plus storage
systems with LG home batteries. For more information, visit
www.vivintsolar.com or follow @VivintSolar on
Twitter.
*CITE Research (www.citeresearch.com), on behalf of Vivint
Solar, conducted a nationally representative online survey of 2,000
U.S. Adults age 25+ from June 13-16,
2019.
**New single family homes completed in a year = 890,000 (HUD
data quoted by US Census).
Average residential solar system size = 6kW (EnergySage).
Press Contact:
Helen
Langan
Senior Director of Communications
385-202-6577
pr@vivintsolar.com
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SOURCE Vivint Solar