[Original Report Vol.45] 'Solar spreads from neighbors': 70.3% say seeing neighborhood solar installations 'influenced their decision'

Kokusai Kogyo Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, President: Kyo Fujiwara), which provides the solar and storage battery economic effect diagnosis "Enegaeru" (https://www.enegaeru.com/), announced the results of a survey on the impact of neighborhood solar installations on purchasing decisions. The survey targeted 111 homeowners who saw solar panels installed in their neighborhood and subsequently installed their own.

*The survey results can be used by complying with the conditions described below.

01 | 70.3% of solar panel adopters answered that seeing neighborhood installations "influenced" their consideration to install.
02 | Top anxieties during consideration were "could not foresee electricity bill reduction effect" (39.6%) and "uncertainty of investment recovery period" (37.8%).
03 | Regarding post-installation economic effects, 61.3% realized it was "as expected or better."

Download this survey here

■ Survey Overview
Survey Name: Survey on the impact of neighborhood solar installations on purchasing decisions
Survey Method: Internet survey planned by IDEATECH's research marketing "Resapy"
Survey Period: April 9 to April 10, 2026
Valid Responses: 111 homeowners who had solar panels in their neighborhood and later installed them.

*Since composition ratios are rounded to the first decimal place, the total may not necessarily add up to 100.

<< Conditions for using survey results >>
1 Please specify the name "Enegaeru Management Office Survey" as the source of information.
2 When using on a website, please set the link below as the source.
URL: https://www.enegaeru.com/

■ 70.3% of adopters answered that seeing neighborhood installations "influenced their consideration"
When asked "Q1. How much did seeing solar panels installed on neighboring houses influence your own consideration to install?" (n=111), the responses were "Very influenced" at 15.3% and "Somewhat influenced" at 55.0%.

Q1. How much did seeing solar panels installed on neighboring houses influence your own consideration to install?
- Very influenced: 15.3%
- Somewhat influenced: 55.0%
- Not very influenced: 16.2%
- Not influenced at all: 9.9%
- Don't know / Cannot answer: 3.6%

■ Top change influenced was "Sense of security that diffusion is progressing in the neighborhood" at 50.0%
When asked "Q2. For those who answered 'Very influenced' or 'Somewhat influenced' in Q1: What specific changes occurred? (Multiple answers allowed)" (n=78), the responses were "Felt a sense of security that diffusion is progressing in the neighborhood" at 50.0%, "Felt I would miss the opportunity if not installed now" at 39.7%, and "Wanted to install it in my own home as well" at 33.3%.

Q2. For those who answered 'Very influenced' or 'Somewhat influenced' in Q1: What specific changes occurred? (Multiple answers allowed)
- Felt a sense of security that diffusion is progressing in the neighborhood: 50.0%
- Felt I would miss the opportunity if not installed now: 39.7%
- Wanted to install it in my own home as well: 33.3%
- Started to be conscious of it as a disaster countermeasure: 29.5%
- Became curious about the economic benefits of solar power generation: 23.1%
- Became interested in saving on electricity bills: 21.8%
- Felt it was realistic to install in my own home: 20.5%
- Started gathering information on solar power generation: 11.5%
- Increased conversations about solar power with neighbors: 1.3%
- Other: 0.0%
- Don't know / Cannot answer: 1.3%

■ 67.5% of adopters had heard from neighborhood installers prior to installation
When asked "Q3. Did you actually hear stories from neighbors who had installed solar panels before you installed yours?" (n=111), the responses were "Actually heard" at 20.7% and "Heard a little" at 46.8%.

Q3. Did you actually hear stories from neighbors who had installed solar panels before you installed yours?
- Actually heard: 20.7%
- Heard a little: 46.8%
- Did not hear: 32.4%
- Don't know / Cannot answer: 0.0%

■ 80.2% were curious about "how much cheaper the electricity bill actually became"
"Q4. Regarding neighborhood solar panel installers, have you ever wondered 'how much cheaper has their electricity bill actually become?'" (n=111)