Welcome! This brief resident survey (about 5–7 minutes) asks for your views on community microgrids. Your answers are confidential and will be reported in summary form only. You may skip any question.
How familiar are you with the idea of “microgrids”?
- Very familiar
- Somewhat familiar
- Heard the term, not sure what it means
- Not at all familiar
FYI: A microgrid is a local energy network with its own sources (like solar) and storage (like batteries) that can work with the main grid or independently during outages to keep power on for a campus, neighborhood, or critical facilities.
Quality check: Please select “I will pay attention” to confirm you are reading the questions.
- I will pay attention
- I am not paying attention
If your community proposed a microgrid within the next 3 years, how much would you support it?
What are your main concerns or reasons you might oppose a local microgrid? Select all that apply.
- Higher utility bills
- Equity or fairness across neighborhoods
- Noise or siting impacts
- Privacy or data-sharing concerns
- Visual impact of equipment
- Distrust in the organizations running it
- Prefer other community investments
- Not enough information
- Other/unsure
Which potential benefits of a community microgrid matter most to you? Select up to three.
- Improved reliability during outages
- Lower monthly bills
- Cleaner local energy
- Local decision-making and control
- Economic development and local jobs
- Resilience for critical services (e.g., water, shelters)
Which ownership or management model would you prefer for a community microgrid?
- City or public agency ownership
- Electric utility ownership
- Community cooperative
- Private company under regulation
- Public–private partnership
- Not sure
How much do you trust your local electric utility to operate a community microgrid effectively?
If offered locally, how would you prefer to participate? Select up to three.
- Join as a subscriber/customer
- Host rooftop solar and/or a battery if eligible
- Allow use of smart thermostat/appliances for demand response
- Share my energy data for planning (with privacy safeguards)
- Attend community meetings or advisory group
- Prefer not to participate
Please rank the following priorities for a community microgrid (drag to order, top = most important).
How important are the following features in evaluating a community microgrid?
If a microgrid provided at least 4 hours of backup for key services during an outage, what monthly bill change would you accept?
- $0 (no increase)
- Up to $5
- $6–$10
- $11–$20
- More than $20
- Not sure
Allocate 100 points across these goals to show their relative importance. (Total should equal 100.)
How do you describe your gender?
- Woman
- Man
- Non-binary
- Prefer to self-describe
- Prefer not to say
Which best describes where you live?
- Urban
- Suburban
- Small town
- Rural
What is the highest level of education you have completed?
What best describes your current employment status?
- Employed full time
- Employed part time
- Self-employed
- Unemployed and looking for work
- Unemployed and not looking for work
- Student
- Homemaker or caregiver
- Retired
- Unable to work
- Prefer not to say
What is your housing situation?
- Own my home
- Rent my home
- Live with family/guardians
- Other
- Prefer not to say
Anything else local officials should consider about microgrids in your area?
Max 600 chars
AI Interview: 2 Follow-up Questions on Your Microgrid Views
Thank you for participating! Your input will help inform local planning and community engagement on microgrids.