Survey Results Are In!
OPALCO has been engaging the co-op membership in the realities facing the energy world. Things are changing due to climate impacts, carbon reduction legislation, and the transition to renewable energy. As our regional energy supply reaches capacity, utilities throughout the country are pursuing carbon-free power sources.
OPALCO has been exploring local renewable energy options in San Juan County, balancing the cost of these projects, aesthetic trade-offs, and limited land for siting against the need to provide reliable power. This winter OPALCO conducted a member survey to gather information on the direction the membership wants OPALCO to take for our energy future.
OPALCO worked with a third-party vendor to conduct the survey. The first part of the survey was a representative sample to have a statistically relevant data set. The survey questions assessed general perceptions of OPALCO, tested awareness of and reception to local renewable project development, and gauged member priorities for projects.
Key takeaways from the representative portion of the survey were:
- High satisfaction rate with OPALCO overall (94%)
- Maintaining and improving service and reducing dependence on mainland energy were top priorities
- Members want OPALCO to prioritize renewable energy but only about half are willing to pay more for it
- Members emphasized protecting the environment, improving reliability, and keeping costs down
- 82% say it’s very or somewhat important to build local resources to minimize future power disruptions
- 74% said San Juan County should adjust policies for more local energy generation with most emphasizing that all environmental, conservation, and safeguards should be met
- Impacts on scenic views and wildlife were top concerns followed closely by an increase to cost
- 80% support local renewable energy projects
After the representative portion of the survey was complete, OPALCO opened the survey up to the whole membership to give everyone the chance to weigh in. Since this portion of the data does not rely on random sampling and cannot be treated as a representative sample – the two data sets should not be compared. The results from the open portion of the survey include high satisfaction rate, high awareness of the energy issues in San Juan County, and prioritizing microgrids and rooftop solar projects.
The Board has reviewed the material closely and will utilize the data as they balance the competing priorities of having low cost, carbon-free, reliable power. These three criteria are almost impossible to meet in tandem, so the team is looking at ways to balance all three priorities.
Members can find the full survey report and comments on our website in the Document Library:
https://www.opalco.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Complete-Survey-Materials.pdf
If you have additional comments, feel free to email communications@opalco.com.
