Starting the year with clarity: what homeowners say they need to make energy decisions

I’m starting the year thinking about energy decisions because that’s where so many homeowners are right now. Over the recent 2025 holiday period, repeated unplanned outages left well over 130,000 Bay Area households and businesses without power at times, with some neighborhoods in San Francisco dark for 48 hours or more as crews worked to restore service. 

In the weeks since, dozens of smaller outages continued into New Year’s Eve, reminding families how real and immediate questions of energy reliability have become.

As policies shift, incentives change, and electrification solutions keep emerging, I’ve noticed a familiar pattern in conversations with families: uncertainty, mixed information, and a real lack of confidence in how to move forward.

That uncertainty doesn’t just slow people down. It often causes them to delay—or completely forgo—upgrades like solar panels, home batteries, heat pumps, and other electrification products.

Curious why, I turned to something simple and close to home. I surveyed 75 homeowners to understand how people actually make energy decisions at home today: who decides, what they value, and what gets in the way.

What the survey taught me

There’s a strong signal here, especially around women homeowners, pointing to a need for better education, clearer information, and more transparent conversations about energy. Not more jargon. Not more pressure. Just better tools to help people feel informed, prepared, and confident about their decisions.

Key finding #1: how decisions actually get made

When it comes to energy decisions at home, most people don’t decide in isolation, but how that collaboration happens varies meaningfully.

Overall

• 61% decide together with their partner
• 29% decide alone
• 3% partner decides
• 7% other / no response

By gender

• Women are far more likely to decide jointly (80% for women vs. 49% for men)
• Men are about 3× more likely to make solo energy decisions
• Of the women who decide alone, 60% are married or partnered

Key finding #2: different motivations, same home

When people think about investing in home energy, the “why” matters just as much as the “what.”

Top motivations overall

• Saving money (76%)
• Helping the environment (61%)
• Staying powered during outages (52%)
• Reducing utility dependence (37%)
• Increasing home value (36%)
• Protecting family with clean energy (29%)

Where motivations diverge

• Women place much higher value on protecting their family and the environment
• Men place higher value on outage protection and utility independence
• Both care deeply about savings

By gender:

These differences aren’t contradictions, they’re complementary. And they suggest that effective energy conversations need to acknowledge both emotional and practical drivers.

Key finding #3: the feeling that matters most

I also asked a simpler, more human question: Which feeling matters most to you when it comes to energy in your home?

Women's top 3:

1. Control over energy use and costs (40%)
2. Transparency - seeing and understanding energy use (18%)
3. Pride in products and sustainable choices (18%)

Men's top 3:

1. Control over energy use and costs (36%)
2. Protection from grid outages (27%)
3. Transparency - seeing and understanding energy use (12%)

The insight: Control is universal. But what “control” means varies. For some, it’s visibility and pride. For others, it’s resilience and protection. Both are valid.

Key finding #4: where frustration creeps in

If energy decisions feel hard, it’s not because people aren’t capable, it’s because the process often is.

• 45% find cost comparisons and ROI unclear
• 20% find the evaluation process confusing
• 16% feel overwhelmed by mixed information
• 16% are confused by changing incentives
• 15% don’t trust salespeople

The quotes tell the story clearly: too many answers, not enough clarity, and not enough trust.

• “What is the cost savings in the near and long term?” 
• “There are a lot of things to evaluate and prioritize, yet I don’t feel like I have the expertise to make a high confidence decision.”
• “Change in the government incentives makes me unsure.”

Key finding #5: a confidence gap

When asked what would help them move forward, homeowners were remarkably consistent:

• 88% want clear cost and savings comparisons
• 56% want trusted expert advice
• 47% want easier-to-understand information
• 44% want recommendations from people they trust
• 22% want real homeowner stories

The insight: Confidence isn’t about education level or income. It’s about access to information that’s clear and credible.

‍What this means

A few observations stand out:

1. The confidence gap affects everyone
   Not because homeowners lack intelligence, but because they lack clarity. Education must support all types of decision-making, from individuals researching on their own to partners making decisions together.
   
   
2. Motivations differ, and that’s okay.
   Saving money matters to everyone, but emotional drivers vary. Effective communication must speak to both practical value and personal meaning.
   
   
3. Control is universal, and personal.
   Transparency, pride, protection, and resilience are different expressions of the same desire: feeling in control of energy at home.

The beginning of something

This is a small, exploratory snapshot, not a final answer. What I’m doing next is simple: listening more, sharing more, and building resources that help homeowners feel informed and empowered. Especially women, who are already doing so much of the invisible work of decision-making at home.

If we can make energy feel clearer, more human, and more trustworthy, we’re on the right path.

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