Two Thirds (65%) of Ontario Homeowners Oppose McGuinty Government Proposed Mandatory Home Energy Audit Program

Toronto, ON -- The McGuinty government's proposed mandatory energy audit for Ontario's homeowners prior to the sale of their homes has sparked opposition among the province's principal residence owners according to a poll released today by the Ontario Real Estate Association and conducted by Ipsos Reid.

Two thirds (65%) of principal residence homeowners across the province oppose the proposed mandatory home energy audit program compared with just 35% who support such a program and, if given the choice, an overwhelming majority (92%) of principal residence owners think that the home energy audits should be voluntary as opposed to mandatory (8%) for homeowners.

Further, 70% of principal residence owners believe that mandatory home energy audit information will deter homeowners from selling homes, thus be detrimental to the real estate sector and Ontario's economy (70% -- 30% strongly/40% somewhat) compared with 30% who disagree (5% strongly/25% somewhat).

Two thirds (62%) of Ontario homeowners believe proposed program is a "poor idea", seven in 10 (68%) say it's unnecessary ...

Overall, two thirds (62%) of Ontario homeowners believe that the proposed mandatory home energy audit program is a "poor idea" (30% poor/32% very poor) compared with 38% who think that it is a "good idea" (29% good/9% very good).

Further, all things considered, seven in 10 (68%) principal residence homeowners throughout the province think that this kind of energy audit and the possible expense of carrying it out is an unnecessary component added to the home buying and selling transaction process compared with 32% who believe it is a necessary component that should be added to that process.

A massive majority (94%) of Ontario homeowners believe mandatory home energy audits will impose significant cost on home sellers and first time buyers (82%) ...

Regardless of their support or opposition to the new proposed program, 94% (29% somewhat/65% strongly) of Ontario's principal residence homeowners believe that mandatory home energy audits will impose a significant cost on home sellers, especially those with older houses who will have difficulty selling their home without having to spend money on expensive energy retrofits thus reducing their home equity. A mere 6% (5% somewhat/1% strongly) disagree with this position.

Further, a full majority (82%) of homeowners believe that mandatory home energy audits will impose a significant cost on first time homebuyers who typically buy resale homes that will now be too expensive due to energy retrofits compared with just one in five (18%) who disagree.

These are the findings of a poll conducted on behalf of the Ontario Real Estate Association from March 30 to April 1, 2009. This online survey of 692 principal residence homeowners in Ontario was conducted via the Ipsos I-Say Online Panel, Ipsos Reid's national online panel. The results of this poll are based on a sample where quota sampling and weighting are employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample's composition reflects that of the actual Ontario population according to Census data. Quota samples with weighting from the Ipsos online panel provide results that are intended to approximate a probability sample. Statistical margins of error are not applicable to online polls, however, an unweighted probability sample of this size, with a 100% response rate, would have an estimated margin of error of +/- 3.7 percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had the entire adult Ontario principal homeowner population been polled.

For more information on this news release, please contact:
John Wright
Senior Vice President
Ipsos Reid
Public Affairs
(416) 324-2002
[email protected]

About Ipsos Reid
Ipsos Reid is Canada's market intelligence leader, the country's leading provider of public opinion research, and research partner for loyalty and forecasting and modelling insights. With operations in eight cities, Ipsos Reid employs more than 600 research professionals and support staff in Canada. The company has the biggest network of telephone call centres in the country, as well as the largest pre-recruited household and online panels. Ipsos Reid's marketing research and public affairs practices offer the premier suite of research vehicles in Canada, all of which provide clients with actionable and relevant information. Staffed with seasoned research consultants with extensive industry-specific backgrounds, Ipsos Reid offers syndicated information or custom solutions across key sectors of the Canadian economy, including consumer packaged goods, financial services, automotive, retail, and technology & telecommunications. Ipsos Reid is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group.

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