ACCEPTANCE AND USAGE OF ENERGY-EFFICIENT SOLAR DEVICES BY THE RESIDENTS OF COIMBATORE CITY

The study investigated the usage of energy-efficient solar in regards to demographics of the residents. Data from 400 households in Coimbatore city (that installed minimum of one solar efficient device) was gathered bewtween 2019 and 2020. The magnitude of the energy-efficient solar device acceptability level by the households was calculated. The results revealed that respondents were open to use energy-efficient solar devices. However, devices were unable to be used as alternative sources because of limitations such as their high cost and households’ ignorance on the benefits that energy-efficient solar devices can offer. The study revealed that 45.3 percent of households agreed to use energy-efficient solar devices because they are environmentally safe, whereas, 31 percent of the households strongly agreed. The Households that agreed to utilize energy-efficient solar devices to lower their electricity bills were 49.8 percent and 34.8 percent strongly agreed for the same. Only 8.5 percent of households strongly agreed, while 40.5 percent strongly disagreed, that energy-efficient solar devices had extra benefits. Only 8.5 percent of the respondents strongly agreed that they use energy-efficient devices to get benefits from government subsidies, whereas, 32.3 percent strongly disagreed. Only 4.8 percent of the repsondents (out of 38%) strongly agreed that energy-efficient solar devices had diverse applications.