Australians fear Coalition is not taking climate change seriously, poll shows

Sixty-five per cent of those surveyed agree that ‘reducing the investment in windfarms and householder solar power is the opposite of what is needed’.

Photograph: Yva Momatiuk and John Eastcott/Corbis

Australians are deeply worried the Abbott government is underestimating the importance of climate change, new polling shows, as cabinet debates crucial long-term targets for greenhouse gas reductions.

The annual polling by the Climate Institute thinktank reveals Australians overwhelmingly support wind and solar energy – as the Coalition seeks to limit support for both – and see it as inevitable that coal-fired power stations will have to be phased out and replaced.

But at the same time, almost half those surveyed (47%) think Labor’s carbon policies will “just increase electricity prices and not do much about pollution”. Labor has not announced a costed or detailed policy but has said it will reintroduce an emissions trading scheme and aim for 50% renewable energy by 2030.

Federal cabinet will on Monday decide on the post-2020 emissions reduction target Australia will take to the UN Paris talks in December and the decision will then be presented to the Coalition party room.

Related: Coalition MPs await ‘robust debate’ on Australia’s post-2020 climate target

The foreign minister, Julie Bishop, who leads the climate negotiations, and the environment minister, Greg Hunt, have been arguing that Australia needs to adopt an emission reduction target broadly in line with those already tabled by the US and Canada – a reduction of between 25% and 28% of 2005 levels by 2030 – but others in cabinet have expressed concern that the government won’t get any political credit from taking on an ambitious goal.

And once the government commits to a target it will be under pressure to explain the policy it intends to use to meet it, with business groups, thinktanks and market analysts all arguing the Direct Action policy would need substantial modification before it was up to the task. Business groups have been lobbying fiercely for the government to drop its opposition to the purchase of carbon credits from overseas.

Labor has not promised bipartisan support to a “lowball” target but has also not yet outlined a costed policy to reach a long-term climate goal.

Findings from the Climate Institute research include:

• Australians are concerned that the seriousness of climate change is underestimated by the government (59% agree, 32% strongly agreeing, 16% disagree).

• 63% think the Abbott government should take climate change more seriously, up six points from 2014.

• 71% of Australians agree “it is inevitable that Australia’s current coal-fired generation will need to be replaced” (13% neutral, 5% disagree, 11% don’t know).

• 72% agree governments need to implement a plan to ensure the orderly closure of old coal plants and their replacement with clean energy (7% disagree and 14% neutral).

• 65% agree that “reducing the investment in windfarms and householder solar power is the opposite of what is needed” (39% strongly agree,11% disagree).

• Solar is the most preferred energy source: when presented with eight sources, 84% of respondents place solar energy within their top three preferred options. This is up 2 points from 2014. Wind energy is the second most preferred option, with 69% supporting it in their preferred energy mix. Coal and nuclear are least preferred with only a 13% backing each as a top three choice.

The polling, and the decision on Australia’s post-2020 emissions reduction target, come after the Abbott government wound back the renewable energy target, instructed the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (which it had unsuccessfully tried to shut) to stop investing in solar and wind, and announced it would appoint a “wind commissioner” to handle complaints about noise from wind turbines and new scientific committee to investigate, again, their alleged impacts on human health.

Related: Obama unveils sweeping cuts to power plant emissions: ‘We have to get going’

“This week’s decision on Australia’s initial post-2020 climate commitment comes as nearly two-thirds of Australian believe that the Abbott government should take climate change more seriously, a surge of 6% from last year,” said John Connor, the chief executive of the Climate Institute.

“Our research also shows the carbon tax spectre still has some sting but perhaps less than would be expected. A third (36%) agree they won’t vote for the ALP because they will bring back the carbon tax, with a quarter (24%) neutral and 28% disagreeing.

“The government and the opposition have an opportunity to join mainstream Australian attitudes with climate commitments and policies which can limit carbon pollution, encourage renewable energy and clean up our energy system.”

The US has said it will reduce greenhouse emissions by 26% to 28% below 2005 levels in 2025 and aim for an 80% reduction by 2050. Canada says it will reduce its emissions by 30% on 2005 levels by 2030. The EU says it will reduce emissions by 40% by 2030 relative to 1990 levels.

The poll was a nationally representative online survey conducted by Galaxy Research 27-29 July 2015 among 1,016 Australians aged over 18. Its margin of error is +/- 3%.

Australians fear Coalition is not taking climate change seriously, poll shows

Look before taking solar panel leap

Batavia Russell and her husband, John Russell, plan to put solar panels on the roof of their Denia neighborhood home this year, but they will wait until fall in hopes they can qualify for a rebate from the city.

They had to hunt a bit, too, for the right company to do the job, she said. They will hire a neighbor who has experience with the work.

“Do business with someone you know,” Batavia Russell said.

The first company the couple signed to do the work decided to stop doing residential installations, John Russell said. He didn’t fully understand the company’s relationship with the city until he started asking more questions about the city’s programs.

The city of Denton offers rebates for a variety of energy-saving home improvement projects, from smart thermostats and attic insulation to energy-efficient windows. Through Denton Municipal Electric, the city-owned utility, the city also offers a limited number of rebates each year to its customers who generate their own electricity with rooftop solar panels.

The rebates are part of the city’s annual budget, which is often depleted soon after it becomes available each October.

But the city doesn’t have partners or any kind of approved list of contractors for the programs.

For practical reasons, the utility doesn’t maintain a waiting list for solar rebates either, according to Brian Daskam, spokesman for DME, which has 55,000 customers across the city.

He confirmed the utility has received complaints from customers about solar installers and contractors, including promises of rebates long after the money has been depleted.

DME also has heard complaints about installers making exaggerated claims of energy savings.

The owners of North Texas Psychiatry and Psychotherapy put solar panels on the roof of their building, a house converted into an office suite on North Locust Street, in late 2012.

The installation is one of about 60 around Denton, most of which received rebates from DME, according to Daskam.

Kerri Vellotti, office manager for the medical office, said the installation qualified for a rebate and the owners also noticed a big difference in the electric bills once the panels had come online.

“It was as much as 75 to 85 percent less,” Vellotti said, although not every month.

Their installer told them it would take six to seven years before the panels would pay for themselves in electrical savings, an estimate Vellotti said was about right.

DME requires solar installers and other energy-efficiency contractors to register with the agency before their customers can qualify for a rebate, but that does not mean the company has been vetted or endorsed by the city, Daskam said.

The city recently began publishing a list online at www.cityofdenton.com with other information about the rebate program, which is called GreenSense.

Before investing in solar panels, Daskam recommends homeowners and business owners take advantage of a free energy audit from DME to learn what upgrades are best for their property.

Solar panels have become less expensive in recent years, dropping about 30 percent in price between 2010 and 2013, according to a report from the Union for Concerned Scientists. But investing in the recommended 5-kilowatt system for the average home remains on the same scale as buying a new car, or about $23,000 before tax credits and rebates.

For the customer ready to invest, Daskam and the Better Business Bureau recommend homeowners and business owners research the contractor’s history.

Jeannette Kopko, spokeswoman for the BBB Serving Dallas and Northeast Texas, said the nonprofit compiles information on all businesses, not just BBB members, in 13 North Texas counties, including Denton and Collin counties.

The group publishes the information online for the public for free at www.bbb.com/dallas. In addition to complaints made to the nonprofit, the BBB also gathers and publishes any records of recent government investigations.

Businesses are given a rating, from A+ to F, and the reasons for that rating, Kopko said.

Businesses that join the BBB must agree to meet standards for truthfulness in their practices to be accredited by the nonprofit, Kopko said.

Each of the member’s advertising and marketplace practices must withstand continued scrutiny to maintain its BBB accreditation.

Kopko recommended that consumers be sure to read and understand anything they are being asked to sign, too.

People often sign agreements thinking they are estimates, she said.

Review any agreement for information on the scope of work, the time period it will be completed and for what price. Check, too, for cancellation privileges and how problems are resolved, she said.

For those who cannot resolve a problem with the company directly, Kopko recommended filing a complaint with the BBB. A representative will help try to get the complaint resolved.

In addition, the complaint and the company’s response becomes part of the record with the BBB, she said.

If someone believes a solar installer has made misleading claims, Kopko recommended complaining not only to the city utility, but also to the BBB.

“If we can substantiate that [claim], we will tell them to modify it — it must be truthful or they have to stop using it,” she said.

PEGGY HEINKEL-WOLFE can be reached at 940-566-6881 and via Twitter at @phwolfeDRC.

Look before taking solar panel leap

Electric-car lovers taking solar step to power vehicles

DETROIT (AP) — Owners of electric vehicles have already gone gas-free. Now, a growing number are powering their cars with sunlight.

Solar panels installed on the roof of a home or garage can easily generate enough electricity to power an electric or plug-in gas-electric hybrid vehicle. The panels aren’t cheap, and neither are the cars. A Ford Fusion Energi plug-in sedan, for example, is $7,200 more than an equivalent gas-powered Fusion even after a $4,007 federal tax credit.

But advocates say the investment pays off over time and is worth it for the thrill of fossil-fuel-free driving.

“We think it was one of the best things in the world to do,” said Kevin Tofel, who bought a Chevrolet Volt in 2012 to soak up the excess power from his home solar-energy system. “We will never go back to an all-gas car.”

No one knows exactly how many electric cars are being powered by solar energy, but the number of electric and plug-in hybrid cars in the U.S. is growing. Last year, 97,563 were sold in the U.S., according to Ward’s AutoInfoBank, up 83 percent from the year before.

Meanwhile, solar installations grew 21 percent in the second quarter of this year, and more than 500,000 homes and businesses now have them, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Tofel, 45, a senior writer for the technology website Gigaom, installed 41 solar panels on the roof of his Telford, Pennsylvania, home in 2011. The solar array — the term for a group of panels — cost $51,865, but after state and federal tax credits, the total cost was $29,205.

In the first year, Tofel found that the panels provided 13.8 megawatt hours of electricity, but his family was using only 7.59 megawatt hours. So in 2012, Tofel traded in an Acura RDX for a Volt plug-in hybrid that could be charged using some of that excess solar energy. In a typical year, with 15,243 miles of driving, the Volt used 5.074 megawatt hours.

Tofel used to spend $250 per month on gas for the Acura; now, he spends just $50, for the times when the Volt isn’t near a charging station and he has to fill its backup gas engine. Charging the Volt overnight costs him $1.50, but the family makes that money back during the day when it sends solar power to the electric grid. He estimates that adding the car will cut his break-even point on the solar investment from 11.7 years to six years.

Powering a car with solar energy isn’t for everyone. Among things to consider:

THE SITE: A south- or southeast-facing roof is a necessity, and there can’t be shady trees around the house. Sam Avery, who installs solar panels in Kentucky through his company, Avery and Sun, says dormers, chimneys and other design features can hamper an installation.

“If people do have a good site, it’s usually by chance,” he says. “I have to retrofit a lot.”

THE COST: The cost of installing solar panels has come down, from $8 to $10 per watt eight years ago to $3 a watt or less now. But it’s still a huge investment.

Bill Webster, 39, a graphic designer at a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., paid $36,740 for his solar array in Frederick, Maryland, three years ago, or around $3.60 per watt. Tax credits reduced his net cost to around $20,000.

Before the installation, his family was paying $1,500 per year for electricity. Now, he pays $5.36 per month, the administrative fee for connecting to the grid. That fuels his home and his all-electric Nissan Leaf, which uses around a third of the energy that his solar panels generate. Webster thinks he’ll break even on his investment in six years.

Some solar companies offer leasing programs, which let customers pay a fixed monthly cost for panels. There are also some incentive programs; Honda Motor Co. offers $400 toward the installation of panels through SolarCity, a company that installs them in 15 states.

Buyers also could consider a smaller system just to power a car. Eighteen 250-watt panels — a $13,500 investment — would produce enough electricity to power a Leaf for 15,000 miles.

THE CAR: For Webster, who has a round-trip commute of less than 50 miles and lives near a lot of electric charging stations, an all-electric car like the Leaf makes sense. But for Avery, who lives in rural Kentucky, the Volt was the better choice because he needs the security of a backup gas engine.

A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website — www.fueleconomy.gov — lists the number of kilowatt hours that a car uses to travel 100 miles, which can help potential buyers calculate their energy needs.

In short, people considering powering a car with solar energy have some math to do. Or maybe they don’t. For Avery, the environmental benefit outweighs everything.

“The reason to go solar is not to save money,” he said. “The real reason to go solar is that we have to do it.”

Electric-car lovers taking solar step to power vehicles