In 2020, California became the first state in the United States to pass a necessary solar power order on new houses. That means any new home built after 2019 in this state has to own solar panels. Since California is often a pioneer in adopting new environmental laws, we can expect this mandate to spread across the US soon. Similarly, we can expect progressive European countries to adopt this new rule. However, one question remains. How do Americans feel about the nationwide solar panel mandate on new homes?
A survey done by Vivint Solar in 2019 shows that Americans may be more open to the new order than we first thought. Read on to find out more about what Americans think about the new mandate and whether they’re willing to invest in solar power.
What the Vivint Solar Survey Tells Us About the Future of Solar Power
Nowadays, most people in first-world countries know how important solar power is. It’s rare to find someone who will deny the importance of going solar for the environment. However, not a lot of people are acting upon that thought process. Whether it’s the cost of going solar or the effort and time needed, people are still hesitant about switching to solar power.
If we want to inspire more people to go solar, we must first understand what it is they’re thinking. That’s where the Vivint Solar survey can help us. Here’s what we can learn about the current mindset of Americans based on this Vivint Solar study:
The Majority of Americans Support a Nationwide Solar Panel Mandate on New Homes
The most interesting result of this study shows that the majority of Americans agree with the new California mandate. Precisely 70% of Americans would support a potential nationwide solar panel mandate on new homes. When asked if they believe solar panels should be mandatory on new homes, only 14% of surveyors declared that they strongly disagree. An additional 16% said they somewhat opposed the nationwide mandate.
However, the rest of the questioned Americans were overwhelmingly for the solar mandate. Over 30% said they strongly agreed with it, and an additional 38% somewhat agreed. There wasn’t much of a difference in opinion between sexes. However, younger people were much more supportive of the nationwide mandate. In people between 25 and 34 years old, 74% thought the change was necessary.
Additionally, people who live on the west coast were slightly more likely to agree. That could be due to the fact that there was a lot of talk about going solar in California at the time.
What Influences People to Go Solar?
In addition to asking Americans about a nationwide solar panel mandate on new homes, Atlantic Key Energy wondered what made people go solar. When asked about who could have influenced their decision to go solar, 58% of participants cited their significant others. Many were influenced by environmental experts, as well.
Surprisingly, not a lot of people found that politicians could motivate them to go solar. Only 19% would listen to a politician if they advised going solar. Still, many take into account the opinions of their friends and family. Friends were reported as quite influential, while people listen to their parents the least. Additionally, participants were more likely to listen to their children if they still live together.
In Conclusion
Understanding what Americans think about a nationwide solar panel mandate on new homes is important. Although more people are choosing to go solar, many are still hesitant. Learning what’s stopping them is essential, as it helps us understand how to approach solving this problem. Knowing what makes people change their minds can help us communicate the importance of making the change to solar energy the right way.
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