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There are many ways to measure the impact of a climate solution, but often it helps to take the long view. How do we spur the transformational change needed for an electrified, net-zero world? How do we build government will for an energy transition that must persist through an ever-shifting political landscape? After all, there will be no transition without public buy-in, both literally and figuratively. And thus, when it comes to the undertaking of a generation, we must not underestimate the small but mighty household.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All told, households directly account for at least 17 per cent of climate-change-causing emissions in Canada (the combined emissions of consumer vehicles and home space and water heating) and that share is higher in provinces without oil and gas industries, like in Ontario at 30 per cent.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n But the real impact on households is greater still. As more and more households globally adopt rooftop solar panels, EVs, heat pumps, battery storage systems and more, the share of total energy investments made by households has doubled over the past decade. In advanced economies with strong policy support, households have accounted for nearly 60 per cent of energy-investment growth since 2016.<\/a> Already, China\u2019s surging EV market is playing an increasing role in bending global oil demand growth downward.<\/a> Indeed, the 17 per cent of climate-change-causing emissions mentioned above does not account for the colossal impact global clean technology adoption will have on fossil fuel production, our biggest source of pollution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All of which is why Clean Energy Canada partnered with Abacus Data on first-of-its-kind market research<\/a> to better understand the next adopters of clean technologies, their barriers and the solutions they need to help them make the switch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Our 3,000-person survey of Canada\u2019s two largest English-speaking urban and suburban centres, the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area and Metro Vancouver, identified five distinct groups, ranging from the highly motivated to the not-at-all-interested. But overall, respondents are quite open to clean technologies: 59 per cent are inclined to buy an EV as their next car (69 per cent in Vancouver, where adoption is much higher), 56 per cent have or positively view heat pumps and 57 per cent say it\u2019s important their next home is energy smart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, our national conversation too often focuses on those who aren\u2019t interested in adopting new technologies or assumes that current adoption rates are equal to interest, when it would be more constructive to instead highlight the giant gap that persists between preference and realization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Enabling the next wave of clean-technology adopters will require not simply selling people on their benefits \u2014 many are already sold \u2014 but systematically breaking down the barriers keeping would-be EV drivers and heat pump owners from doing what they already want to do.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Younger people, for example, are considerably more inclined to adopt clean technologies: 71 per cent of those under 30 want an EV for their next car, compared to 49 per cent of those over 60. And yet they are also more likely to rent or live in apartments, limiting their ability to make upgrades or access home EV charging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In contrast, older people often live in homes they could upgrade, but they tend to have more technology concerns. Education and simplification could help them make the switch. For example, given they typically drive less, most retired drivers will manage comfortably with Level 1 EV charging, which uses a regular outlet and eliminates any need for electrical upgrades. But how often are they receiving this information?<\/p>\n\n\n\n No matter who you are \u2014 young or old, well-off or living paycheque to paycheque \u2014 the upfront cost of clean technology adoption is likely your number one barrier, as it was for every group analyzed, even despite the fact that 64 per cent correctly recognized that a household with an EV, heat pump and other clean technologies would end up paying less over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Incentives have already proven essential to early EV and heat pump uptake because they soften upfront costs, but generally they\u2019re designed to kickstart the market until prices become so competitive that they are no longer needed. Governments should also be looking at other levers to help address upfront cost: Canada could open its car market to more of the lower-cost EVs sold in other countries, while regulations such as the EV availability standard incentivize automakers to make more models available at more price points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Governments may also be operating under the assumption that the people who care most about the environment are the ones choosing these technologies. But consider the following: our \u201cRetired Homeowner\u201d group is almost twice as motivated to lower their carbon footprint as our parent-age \u201cPractical Families\u201d group \u2014 and yet their openness to various clean technologies, from EVs to heat pumps to smart homes, is effectively the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, solutions will vary for different adopters. What is abundantly clear is that governments and policymakers would benefit from a sophisticated understanding of who needs help and what kind of help. With a sharper, detailed picture of Canadians, they might better design incentives, determine investments and craft communications in a way that meets people where they\u2019re actually at \u2014 and where they want to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This post was co-authored by Rachel Doran and first appeared in the National Observer.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n