Typical solar owner: Penny-pinching men who love cars and A/C
The folks over at One Block Off the Grid polled 200 solar homeowners to find out if they fit into the conventional liberal, tree-hugging category. Turns out, the average solar homeowner has a very different profile.
The graphic below is filled with interesting little takeaways about who is buying solar. Just keep in mind only 200 homeowners were surveyed. UPDATE: In a country where residential solar adoption still stands at less than one percent, we think 200 respondents to the poll is a pretty significant chunk, 1BOG noted in an email to me today. The group added the respondents were "surprisingly how anxious to share as much information as possible about themselves and bust some solar stereotypes."
The finding that stood out to me: nearly 3 in 4 homeowners say they wouldn't have installed solar if there had not been an economic benefit. Money -- or more accurately, the potential to save it -- is a great motivator.
The poll also found that while the vast majority of women take primary or equal responsibility for paying their electricity bills, they were surprisingly absent in the decision to install solar. Sixty-eight percent of men surveyed were the were first person in the household interested in going solar. And 77 percent of men were the ones in the household who did the footwork to make it happen.
Photo: Flickr user libertygrace0, CC 2.0
Related:
- A state-by-state solar pricing guide
- Infographic: Do 'green' homes sell faster?
- Infographic: Top 10 solar countries
- When will those energy upgrades pay for themselves?
This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com