Following the City of New Westminster’s Public Information Session on the Urban Solar Garden from July, Energy Save New West is pleased to present a summary of the feedback that we’ve received thus far on the initiative. The summary below includes both responses to the on-line questionnaire and those attendees who submitted a questionnaire the night of the event.
Overall Results (to date)
| DESCRIPTION | # |
|---|---|
| Total questionnaires completed by attendees at Public Information Session on July 20th | 77 |
| Total questionnaires completed online (to date) | 51 |
| TOTAL | 104 |
| DESCRIPTION | % |
|---|---|
| Percentage of respondents interested in further subscription/investment information | 75% |
| Percentage of comments asking for information on payback/return on investment information | 15% |
Key Findings (to date)
- 77% of respondents have previously considered installing solar panels on their own roofs.
- Top four drivers for participating in the Urban Solar Garden
- I like the environmental benefits of the project – 93%
- I want to save money on my utility bill – 71%
- I want to participate in a local renewable energy project – 69%
- I like that I don’t need to install and maintain my own panels – 61%
- Roughly a 33% of respondents would be interested in a financing option if their investment was $1000 or less, and a 33% of respondents would be interested in a financing option if the investment cost was over $1000, and a 33% require more information before making a determination.
- Expanding solar benefits:
- Solar array should be in a visible location – 48%
- Solar array offers periodic educational tours on technology and community-scale installation – 68%
- Seeing the daily production of solar power from the array displayed at City Hall and online – 89%
Overall, the City of New Westminster is encouraged with the public response and we’re looking forward to coming back for another Public Information Session in the fall where we’ll be expanding the information on the technical aspects of project and providing preliminary economic analysis.
If you haven’t already registered to receive updates on the Urban Solar Garden, please register here to stay informed on project developments including an upcoming date announcement for our next fall Public Information Session that’s coming shorty.
For those who were unable to attend the Public Information Session on July 20th, a PDF copy of the presentation can be accessed here.
Also, if you have any questions on the Urban Solar Garden, please do not hesitate to reach out and provide us your thoughts via email.