Residents want a more energy efficient city

The Christchurch Agency for Energy (CAfE) has released the results of a survey of residents on Christchurch and Energy and has found some interesting results.

The telephone survey of 400 residents was conducted between 25th March and 17th April 2013 by the Field Connection Ltd and has a statistical margin of error of ±4.9% at the 95% confidence level.  The sample included residents through the whole city with proportions of, 0.75% in the Central City, and roughly a quarter in each of the Eastern 26.25%, Northern 25.50%, Southern 22.50% and Western, 25.00% suburbs.

There was high awareness of walking, busing and cycling to reduce power consumption for transport.  When residents were asked for their understanding of the term ‘renewable energy resources’ several forms of energy were mentioned. However, the primary resources mentioned by residents were solar power, hydro power generation  and wind power. Merv Altments, CEO of CAfE felt this research showed a positive grasp of the issues, “People were engaged with energy issues and had a good appreciation of energy and energy use.  There was divided opinion as to whether Christchurch is making the right energy decisions.”

Respondents were asked if they considered that the Christchurch CBD and suburbs were currently moving in the right direction with regards to future energy efficiency and sustainability initiatives in homes and commercial buildings, almost a third of residents said yes (31%), a third said no (29%), and over a third (40%)weren’t sure.

Of those who said they perceived Christchurch is moving in the right direction (31%), the issue of speed was canvassed.  In response to “Are these future energy efficiency initiatives being implemented fast enough at this point in time?” responses were split with Yes 30%, No 54%, Don’t know or Unsure 16%.

Eighty-seven per cent of those surveyed believed that incentives need to be offered to encourage people to utilise renewable energy resources during the repair /rebuild of their homes.

·         98.50% of residents agreed with the statement that ‘there should be an emphasis  on keeping residents healthy by ensuring homes are warm and well insulated’.
·         91% also agreed with the statement that ‘I believe that EQC should encourage residents to install insulation and or double glazing in their homes during the repair process’.
·         83% also believe that there should be changes to the building code to encourage greater use of renewable energy resources such as solar power.

Opportunities including interest in learning more.
·         80% of residents wanted more information relating subsidies and the eligibility criteria to develop an energy efficient home.
·         83% of residents also believed that given the current circumstances in Christchurch, that low emission wood burners should be allowed in new home builds.

A total of 89% of residents considered that there was an opportunity to improve the quality and reliability of public transport options during the rebuild of our city and 94% also believed that safe cycle ways should be encouraged and developed around the city.

Heat pumps were used in nearly a quarter of homes (23%) while one in 20 residents (5%) said their homes had solar panels.

CAfE had a prompted and unprompted combined awareness of 11.25% of those surveyed, which Merv Altments described as good. “People in Christchurch have a lot on their mind so we were pleased that slightly over one in ten residents, which equates to well over 40,000 people, know of CAfE, even before our Awareness Activities in April. This shows an increasing number of people are becoming aware of CAfE’s role in meeting the expectations and aspirations of Christchurch in the energy space.”

Researchers concluded respondents perceived that there was a key opportunity to position Christchurch as a leader and innovator in terms of creating an energy efficient city for the future and to enable residents to support practical, functional, innovative and cost effective energy strategies for the future. However within this framework, residents strongly believed there to be a need to plans for emergencies relative to energy sources for the future, to ensure that they are able to meet the basics of life (i.e. heating and water) in the event of further seismic events.  This would allow reduced dependence  on current forms of energy for comfort and survival – for example, the freedom of choice regarding the installation of wood burners, and the introduction of legislation.

There was a perception held that some of these renewable energy resources could potentially prove more reliable in the event of further significant aftershocks / power  blackouts in Christchurch vis-à-vis current energy sources such as electricity, therefore alleviating hardships caused by power outages within the city.

Residents also felt that the utilisation of a ‘natural’ energy resource fed into a ‘feel good factor’ by preserving the environment for future generations.

ENDS

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