Albertans want to be more energy efficient at home: survey

 Upfront costs and know-how are barriers for some

• 81 percent of households say saving energy at home is a priority
• 62 percent cite a lack of money to purchase energy-saving measures as a significant barrier
• 65 percent of households are willing to pay more for additional residential energy-efficiency programs

Calgary, Alberta - Alberta residents are keen to become more energy efficient at home, according to a province-wide survey. And, they say that while upfront costs of some energy-saving measures are a barrier, they would be willing to pay more than they do now to fund additional provincial energy-efficiency programs to remove these barriers.

Alberta households now pay about $1.30 a month for energy-efficiency programming - through provincial taxes and utility rates - and survey respondents said they would be willing to pay about $2.00 more a month per household for additional programs. More households supported paying towards additional energy-efficiency programs through their provincial taxes or via a dedicated surcharge on utility bills, rather than through increases in utility rates.

"We've known for a long time that Alberta is a wonderfully energy-rich province, and we're learning more thoroughly that Albertans also want to be more energy-efficient in their homes," said C3 President and CEO, Simon Knight. "The focus is on finding practical solutions to obstacles - in this case a lack of knowledge about what is beneficial and the upfront costs of some measures. 

"We will incorporate the survey findings into our activities with stakeholders, the management of programs, and our communications with Albertans."

The survey was administered online in August 2011 by C3, an Alberta-based energy-efficiency non-profit. It captured responses from 3,009 Albertans in Calgary, Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Grand Prairie, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer, and rural Alberta.

Selected survey questions and responses

About the survey

The survey was conducted by C3 to help determine the level of interest and capability among Albertans to become more energy efficient at home, and to determine preferences for the funding and management of household energy-efficiency programs. It is accurate 99 percent of the time within ±5 percent. A summary of survey results can be viewed at C-3.ca.

About C3

C3 is an Alberta-based non-profit that encourages energy efficiency and the small-scale use of alternative energy sources by Albertans. We engage decision-makers - individuals, businesses and other organizations - to encourage new choices about energy use. C3 partners with government, municipalities and corporations to design and administer tailored programs to help people use less energy, save money and reduce GHG emissions. 

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