Poll suggests Utahns ready to pay more for clean energy sources

LOGAN — Researchers at the Community and Natural Resources Institute at Utah State University, or CANRI, said findings suggest that more than half of Utahns are willing to pay more on their power bills if it means supporting clean energy sources.

The findings come from the Utah People and Environment Poll, conducted in 2023, with updated data sets for 2024 and 2025.

"We really looked at attitudes about clean energy overall, and one of the things that we asked was whether residents would be willing to pay more for their energy, based on it coming from clean energy sources," Stacia Ryder, associate director at CANRI, explained. "We found an overwhelming majority of Utahns express a willingness to pay more for clean energy."

The study was conducted in hopes of better informing policy as they develop their plans for future energy use in Utah. The poll found that 56% of respondents were willing to pay more for clean energy, with 74% showing support for solar, 64% for wind and geothermal and 52% for nuclear.

Rep. Colin Jack, R-St. George, however, said he's seen similar surveys over the years, and he's skeptical, to say the least.

"I think talk is cheap and that the truth of the matter is, there's very few people who are actually willing to pay more for solar energy," Jack said.

Jack, who also serves as chief operating officer at the nonprofit energy co-op, Dixie Power, said it, along with the City of St. George, founded the Sun Smart program on similar beliefs back in 2006.

"We were both getting a lot of calls from residents, or in our case, members, saying that they were willing to pay more money for renewable energy," Jack explained. "We got together and said, 'Let's build a solar generator, and we'll split it 50/50, and we'll sell shares to anybody within the city of Saint George.'"

Jack said the program launched in 2008 with the availability to buy into 100 kilowatts of power generation. They limited the shares to four per household, anticipating a lot of interest after a major publicity campaign. The results, however, were significantly less than expected.

"Twenty-five customers," Jack said. "Out of all of the residents of St. George City, which probably number(ed) around 100,000."

A Rocky Mountain Power study, filed with the Utah Public Service Commission back in 2014, found that 90% of respondents supported increased use of solar and renewable energy sources, with 75% saying they would consider subscribing to a community solar farm program. When asked if they would consider subscribing to such a program with an increased cost, that interest dropped to 5%.

Ryder said it's still important to take a closer look at what Utah energy users want and support, adding that future surveys may need to look at more specific parameters.

"One thing that we don't ask in the study that is important for utilities and for us to ask in the future is, 'How much more are people willing to pay?'" Ryder said. "It's not just about the cost, but what is the ease of buy-in for residents and how well is the program marketed? All of these sorts of factors can impact adoption."

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