Oregon Utility Customer Survey Results

Earlier this summer, CUB launched an Oregon Utility Customer Survey to learn more about to what extent CUB’s constituency has an interest in or background knowledge of a range of pressing energy issues. CUB developed the survey project with an additional goal in mind: to enhance and inform the conversation at CUB’s annual energy policy conference. At this year’s conference, The Future Starts Now, CUB organized a special panel to discuss “what consumers want”. CUB requested that the panel group – comprised of utility representatives and energy advocates – come prepared with information on the topic. It seemed fitting, then, that CUB would also come prepared to discuss results from the Oregon Utility Customer Survey project. It is important to note that CUB does not have expertise in survey science or, for that matter, the requisite financial or human resources to deliver a survey that would pass muster with a group such as Pew Research. That said, CUB took the project seriously and paid careful attention to survey best practice with the goal of learning more about our membership and larger constituency of friends and “followers”. Process, methodology, and response rate:

• CUB launched the survey on July 15 and stopped accepting responses on October 3.
• CUB accepted results both electronically through a “Google Form” and physically on paper.
• CUB utilized email as the primary vehicle for encouraging electronic participation with a sample size of approximately 3,000 individuals.
• CUB utilized our second-quarter Summer Newsletter as the primary vehicle to encourage physical participation with a sample size of approximately 4,500; participants returned their answers by mail.
• CUB staff encouraged additional participation with direct appeals to personal contacts with an unknown sample size.
• CUB employed Facebook advertisements throughout the summer with a sample size of approximately 21,000 (the number of independent screens on which the advertisement appeared).
• CUB received 417 independent electronic responses, 77 complete physical responses, and 38 additional incomplete responses.

The results reflect electronic and completed physical responses captured between July 15, 2016 and October 3, 2016.

Summary of Findings:

• Respondents have some interest in employing “time of use pricing” to adjust their behavior(s) to lower energy usage. 39 percent said that they “agree” (that given their understanding they would participate), and 29 percent said they “somewhat agree”.
• A majority of respondents believe that solar net metering promotes equity, with 41 percent saying they “agree” that net metering benefits all customers equally, and 25 percent saying they “somewhat agree”.
• An overwhelming majority, at 72 percent of respondents, would prefer an inverted rate structure. Only 1 percent of respondents would prefer a declining rate structure.
• Taking into account “cleanliness”, “cost” and “personal preference”, survey respondents, across the board, think of coal as a dirty, costly, and undesirable resource option.
• On the flip side, surveyors believe energy efficiency is a clean, inexpensive, and preferential option.
• 94 percent of respondents believe that human activities increase greenhouse gas levels; 95 percent believe climate change poses an environmental, public health, and economic threat.
• 92 percent think government should play a role in reducing emissions through regulation; 81 percent believe that utilities should independently reduce their emissions.

In the end, the Oregon Utility Customer Survey project was a valuable exercise on CUB’s part. We learned more about our membership and the many other folks who follow our work. For a full analysis report of the survey results, click here.

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