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Show SECTION 2 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS CUSTOMER CHARACTERISTICS To characterize retail customer perceptions and characteristics, two surveys were performed by CUWCD within its service area. The first survey was a telephone survey intended to be statistically representative of residential customers within the CUWCD service area. The second survey was a mail survey targeting a random sample of residential customers within the retail service areas of Salt Lake City, Murray City, and South Salt Lake City water departments. This survey was conducted to collect data specifically for the price elasticity study and was, thus, rather limited in geographic coverage. As a result of these surveys, the following statements can be made about residential water users in the service area. 1. Customers are concerned about the level of their water bills and the level of their control over their bills. 2. Customers trust the utility that serves them. 3. Customers think it is the utility's responsibility to promote conservation. 4. Customers are opposed to the concept of simply raising rates to induce water conservation. 5. Customers favor the concept of linking water use and per unit price. 6. Residential customers have widely adopted basic water conserving behaviors, particularly if heated water is conserved. These include the use of short cycles on dishwashers, taking shorter showers, matching load size to water level in clothes washing machines, and watering lawns during cooler periods of the day. 7. Significant potential remains in the residential sector for installation of water conserving devices such as low- flow toilets, showerheads and faucets. 8. Residential customers have some difficulty responding to questions concerning the installation of water conserving technologies within their residences. Utility water audit or informational programs could assist customers in recognizing whether they have low- flow devices in their home. ES- 5 Executive Summary |