Almost a third of German homeowners plan to install solar systems by 2025 – E.ON survey
Clean Energy Wire
Nearly every third house owner in Germany (29%) plans to install a solar power system in the coming two years, a survey conducted by energy company E.ON shows. "The commitment of homeowners is an important building block in achieving the energy transition goals," the company's CEO Filip Thon said. The main reasons given by respondents for the planned investment were the desire to reduce their electricity costs (82%) and to protect the climate (56%). This is followed by increasing the value of the property (46%), self-sufficiency (37%) and the desire to supply heat pumps (32%) and electric cars (28%) with cheap electricity. The survey of 2,000 homeowners also showed that one fifth planned to invest in an electric car, and one in six in a heat pump in the same time frame.
While a large majority of people in Germany supports the switch to climate-friendly electricity, heating or transport, many also worry about the costs. A recent survey conducted by state-owned bank KfW showed that the share of homeowners who say they don’t have the money to install climate-friendly technologies has increased significantly in Germany. The country has one of the lowest homeownership rates in Europe, with just under half of the population owning their house.