745G Fieldwork Study Bannockburn Community Energy Efficiency Survey: Do residential community members know about energy efficiency?

CUNY BROOKLYN COLLEGE GRADUATE CENTER FOR WORKER EDUCATION

Bannockburn Community Energy Efficiency Survey Do residential community members know about energy efficiency? Dr. Joseph Wilson Karine Parry 12/19/2010

Consumers will generally engage in energy efficient practices when the tools and resources available suggest financial and environmental benefits.

Parry 2 Abstract: Energy efficiency engages people of all ages. This is the title and introduction on the supplemental ENERGY STAR Home Improvement presentation used to compliment the fieldwork study. Additionally, it is a concept the ENERGY STAR program supports and markets. Energy efficiency is essentially the largest untapped answer for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the air. (Environmental Protection Agency) It also represents market transformation from a purely fossil fuel dependent economy to one that utilizes cleaner energy sources. Energy efficiency represents responsible management practices and the acknowledgement that people as a civilization need to use less energy in their day-to-day life choices. In an effort to gather information on how people have been making energy efficient changes, I developed a survey and offered it to the Bethesda Maryland Bannockburn community. What I found was that gathering the information on how people have actually engaged with efficient changes has helped to make sense of the main issues of concern for residential consumers. It has also assisted in the effort to figure out exactly what it is they are saying about it. From the onset, I had my own doubts about the effectiveness of energy efficiency as a solution to combat greenhouse gases. It was this study that put to rest some doubts and encouraged further participation with the issue. Generally, residents are interested in the topic of energy efficiency and incorporating it into their daily lifestyles. They are also aware of the ENERGY STAR program. The problems they have had with incorporating these types of changes are largely financially related. Additionally, clear and reliable information on the topic and location for resources have caused them some uncertainty and hesitation in the past. With clear and reliable presented solutions, residents that are interested in energy efficiency will essentially find ways to incorporate the changes. They will find ways to incorporate the changes because they want to save money, they want to make smart investment choices, they want to improve the comfort levels of their

Parry 3 home and they are at least somewhat interested in protecting the environment. The conclusion of the fieldwork study supports the idea that energy efficiency is a voluntary choice consumers generally want to make, once they are made aware of the benefits both environmentally and financially. Survey Responses: Ten people were interviewed throughout the two weeks I conducted the sample survey. Most of the individuals who responded and provided feedback had done so through a listserv announcement about the project, sent out on the community Bannockburn listserv. The Bannockburn community is generally a more well-to-do community of individuals who are financially able and capable to make energy efficiency improvements. Additionally, the community is likewise already a bit more involved than other communities on the issue of energy efficiency. An Energy Forum event was held in early November, with key energy speakers from Pepco, Clean Currents and the Maryland Energy Administration attending, to discuss the benefits of Clean Energy Suppliers and Distributors. This event represents the community’s interest and involvement with the issue. The individuals that interviewed with me who had responded to the announcement had largely already conducted energy audits, made ENERGY STAR Home Improvements and/or done quite a bit of research on the topic of energy efficiency. Often, they were consumers who had gone through all the necessary steps and merely wanted someone to discuss them with. Additionally, the respondents were interested in me as a student and soon-to-be intern for ENERGY STAR. The rest of the interviewees consisted of homeowners in new or older homes that were willing to meet with me as I walked around door-to-door. They were generally more comfortable with a graduate student walking around conducting a survey due to the listserv announcement that had been sent out. Of the fifteen or so houses I walked around to and knocked on doors, only five actually invited me in to speak about the topic.

Parry 4 On the additional survey excel attachment, I have provided both a detailed worksheet response and a shorter more condensed version. Every respondent had additional feedback to provide as well as thorough answers to the questions presented to them. Additionally, the community presentation template following the survey project is provided in this packet. Residential consumers were interested in Clean Energy solutions. Therefore, I did some additional research collected from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Green Power Partnership and Department of Energy Clean Energy suppliers online sources. The information regarding Clean Energy suppliers, REC’s and the benefits and drawbacks of Clean Energy were presented in the community energy forum. Finally, an ENERGY STAR Home Improvement power point presentation was organized and presented to interested home owners I interviewed with. If they were interested in learning more about the ENERGY STAR program, I provided this introduction for informational educational purposes. Literature Review: Encouraging market transformation begins with raising awareness on the importance of doing so. It is not possible to change two hundred years of Industrial innovation and advancement overnight. A work plan and implementation strategy is required. Powerful technologies of resource efficiency should coexist with a keen sense of social purpose; Means cannot satisfy without worthy ends. As T.S. Elliot warned: “’A thousand policemen directing the traffic cannot tell you why you come or where you go.’ Mobilizing the ingenuity to create a better car must be matched by finding the wisdom to create a society worth driving around in—but less often.” (Hawken, 47) There needs to be a reason to market car transportation that is beneficial to the audience it is directed at. Energy efficiency is the practice of using less energy to do something as good as before or better. (energystar.gov) It means that consumers do not have to sacrifice their lifestyles. Essentially, they are just voluntarily encouraged to make changes that are more energy responsible. A program like ENERGY STAR works to emphasize the importance of

Parry 5 not only changing choices but transforming consumer behavior. People need to recognize not only that they are asked to make changes, but why they are encouraged to do so. It should be a change they genuinely make because they want to. Additional research was gathered on other home energy efficiency surveys that have been conducted in order to compare larger samples to my own small survey. These examples provide additional support to supplement the primary source feedback I gathered. It was also interesting to learn about what others have already done. These surveys provide statistical evidence on a larger scale, supporting the idea that energy efficiency is an improvement consumers generally make, once they are made aware of the benefits both financially and environmentally. Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse energy efficiency survey What We Don’t Know Can Cost US Survey Reveals Homeowners Want to Save Energy This Summer, But Don’t Know How, conducted back in May of 2001, suggested that homeowners generally want to make improvements once they are made aware of the benefits both financially and environmentally. According to the survey, “93% of Americans believe that saving energy is important both for the environment and their pocket books, but many of them don’t know where to start” (Lowe’s 2001 Press Release). Since 2001, ENERGY STAR appliances and products have provided homeowners with effective energy saving options to combat this concern about where to start saving. Additionally, awareness has been raised with campaigns like the current National Building Competition and Change a Light, Change the World campaigns. This survey additionally suggested that “58% say that when purchasing an appliance, energy-efficiency is very important. In fact, it is more important than cost, brand or color” (Lowe’s 2001 Press Release). Barbara Sisson at the time, affiliated with the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, stated that “The cost of running an ENERGY STAR refrigerator [for example] is less than the cost of running a 75 watt light bulb” (Lowe’s 2001 Press Release). After told about the ENERGY STAR label,

Parry 6 similar to my own findings, “90% of Americans [in this survey] said they would look for the ENERGY STAR label on future purchases” (Lowe’s 2001 Press Release). SCE’s Home Energy Efficiency Survey, conducted back in 2002, found that lack of information or awareness of specific measures and practices is one of the primary barriers to energy efficiency. “Residential consumers often lack information and knowledge about energy efficiency opportunities that would help them understand, manage and reduce their energy usage.” (SCE Home Energy Efficiency Survey) There was found to be a need to fill the gap between awareness and adoption of low-cost measures, such as compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs). The measurement results of SCE’s 2002 HEES InHome Survey indicated that 74% of program participants implemented at least one recommendation after the survey was completed. The study suggested that the survey helped customers originally doubtful about energy efficiency investment overcome barriers by providing low-cost and no-cost energy-saving recommendations. The survey approach, made convenient for homeowners, offered six voluntary encouragement strategies to address the gap between awareness and efficiency measure options: Mail-In Energy Survey’s, On-Line Energy Surveys, In-Home Energy Survey’s, Phone Energy Survey’s, Welcome Packages and Energy Efficient Mortgages. These options were additionally offered in multiple languages to account for cultural differences. Consumers were provided with options to incorporate energy efficiency savings. The McKinsey Report, offered by the McKinsey Global Institute, suggested additional barriers could be overcome, “with energy consumption cut by more than half over the next 15 years, through more aggressive energy efficiency efforts.” (New York Times, Energy Use Can be Cut by Efficiency, Survey Says) In order to take advantage of energy saving opportunities, some product standards would have to be tightened and some policy incentives changed” (New York Times, Energy Use Can be Cut by Efficiency, Survey Says). ENERGY STAR would step in here. ENERGY STAR reaches across the commercial, industrial and residential sectors. Residential home owners could renovate their home based on a home energy advising options available on the ENERGY STAR website

Parry 7 and/or energy audit assessment, conducted by a qualified contractor or energy auditor in the area. Additionally, the purchase of an ENERGY STAR appliance, from a list of over forty different options, would increase the energy efficiency standards of the home. These survey examples all suggest there is untapped potential that exists with energy efficiency improvements. Conclusion: Consumers will generally engage in energy efficient practices when the tools and resources available suggest financial and environmental benefits. If there is cost-effective savings associated with incorporating energy efficiency options, consumers agree there is no reason for them not to incorporate the changes. People generally want to save money. If the choice additionally helps to protect the environment in a humane manner, they view it as an added benefit. Energy efficiency improvements can be engaged by people of all ages. There are opportunities for kids, choices to bring green to work, and Home Improvement options offered by ENERGY STAR. Energy efficiency is necessary for a home to be green. It is represents responsible management and market transformation. It is a choice that people ought to commit to for the long-term benefits associated.

Parry 8 Works Cited (Power Point Presentation, Energy Forum Presentation and Bannockburn Survey Paper) Bannockburn Community Respondents. October 8, 2010 (Surveys October 8th-October 22nd)-November 8, 2010 (Energy Forum Event November 8th). Please See interview appointment schedules. “Guide to Purchasing Green Power Renewable Electricity, Renewable Energy Certificate and On-Site Renewable Generation.” EPA’s Green Power Partnership and Department of Energy’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. March 2010. http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/documents/purchasing_guide_for_web.pdf “Green Power Locator.” Green Power Partnership. http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/pubs/gplocator.htm Granade, Hannah, John Creyts, Anton Derkach, Phillip Farese and Scott Nyquist. “Unlocking Energy Efficiency in the U.S. Economy McKinsey Global Energy and Materials.” McKinsey and Company. July 2009. Hawken, Paul. Natural Capitalism Creating the Next Industrial Revolution. Bay Back Books/Little, Brown and Company, 2000. “Home Energy Efficiency Survey.” California Energy Efficiency < http://www.californiaenergyefficiency.com/calenergy_old/sce/2503.pdf> “Home Improvement: Improve Your Home’s Energy Efficiency with ENERGY STAR.” http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=home_improvement.hm_improvement_index Lohr, Steve. “Energy Use Can Be Cut by Efficiency, Survey Says.” The New York Times. 29 November 2006 Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse. “What We Don’t Know Can Cost Us Survey Reveals Homeowners Want to Save Energy This Summer, But Don’t Know How.” 9 May 2001 Press Release. < http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/manuf_res/lowessurvey.pdf>