Survey says: Californians want more solar energy + storage energy

Recent wildfires in California have made a big impact on home energy in the state. We know that every homeowner wants to feel comfortable in their home. We also know that many homeowners want to make that happen in responsible ways, such as buying solar panels. At Vivint Solar it is our mission to help in that journey, so we engaged Qualtrics to conduct a survey in August 2019 to get a better idea of how homeowners in California feel about their home energy situation.

The survey collected 315 responses from California homeowners. We found their responses particularly illuminating, especially with the recent announcements by Pacific Gas & Electric and other California electric utilities that power would be cut off in many parts of the state in hopes of preventing wildfires caused by the utility’s power lines.

According to the results of our survey, nearly two-thirds of respondents reported that they felt it was likely that they would experience a power outage within the next year and 40% reported that they would consider it “very” or “somewhat” stressful if a power outage lasting longer than two hours occurred tomorrow. Only 52% of those surveyed reported that they had been notified by their utility provider of a preemptive power outage in case of extreme weather conditions and only 29% expressed that they were “extremely” or “very” confident that they would be notified by their utility provider in the case of extreme weather or other conditions.

When asked what three capabilities they’d most like to have access to during a power outage, surveyed residents listed refrigeration first at 61%, air conditioning and heat next at 48%, and lighting third at 38%. Other capabilities included: communication devices, entertainment devices, internet, and home security devices. With these responses in mind, it is no surprise that over 40% of survey participants said that they were considering purchasing residential solar energy and storage options. Residential solar with a battery will help keep the lights on at home when homeowners need it the most. A solar battery detects a blackout in a fraction of a second and automatically restores a homeowner’s power.

As Vivint Solar looks to offer more viable options, we see a clear need, especially in markets like California, to provide a number of solutions for solar energy and storage. We want homeowners to have the power to choose the kind of experience they want from their energy provider. Because when the power goes out, we don’t want anyone left in the dark. To learn more about Vivint Solar energy and battery options, click here.