‘Can’t be bothered’ – 22% of Brits on energy efficiency

Posted on 31 August 2013 by Priyanka Shrestha

Four in 10 British householders believe they “cannot afford” to be energy efficient whilst 22% said they “can’t be bothered”, new research claims.

The study of 2,000 people also found nine in 10 said they have heard of energy efficiency and nearly three quarters (72%) know it can help save money on their bills.

When asked what the term means, 70% said reducing energy use, 13% believe it means using alternative energy, 6% was not sure whilst the rest said it means installing insulation and making improvements to combat climate change.

While 62% said they have installed “quick and easy” energy saving measures such as insulation and draught proofing, only 5% have invested in longer term improvements such as solar panels and 0.3% have installed biomass boilers.

Just under half (45%) of householders also said they are conscious of the effect their energy use has on the environment but nearly a quarter believe their actions won’t make a difference.

Energy supplier npower, which carried out the research, suggests people need more motivation and should be made more aware of schemes such as the Green Deal to help with installation costs.

David Titterton, Green Deal Obligations Director at npower said: “Our research shows quite a one dimensional view of energy efficiency and sustainability. On the one hand, UK homeowners are taking steps to cut their energy and reduce their bills but there is little engagement in long-term planning, particularly when it comes to self-generation technology such as solar panels and ground source heat pumps.

“While part of this naturally derives from the different levels of investment needed to install these improvements, there is also a lack of understanding as to why using renewable energy is so important. We need a cultural change to the way we view energy waste. By using less energy and tapping into renewable sources where possible, households can reduce their energy costs both now and for years to come as well as doing their bit to help combat climate change.”

Statistics from DECC last week revealed only one house has had Green Deal measures installed since it was officially launched earlier this year.

1 Comments For This Post

1. Steve Fawkes Says:
   
   August 31st, 2013 at 6:16 pm

   A large part of the problem is that energy efficiency is inherently dull and there is very little that can be done to make it interesting. The basic proposition of ‘spend something to save something’ just isn’t attractive – we will only really save energy when we are facing extreme hardship or a crisis. No one wakes up in the morning and says ‘I want to buy some energy efficiency today’ – however annoying their energy bills are. To achieve the improvements in energy efficiency that we need businesses need to create attractive propositions that give people what they want – money or some other kind of reward – in return for allowing aggregators and traders to utilise the energy efficiency resource inherent in every house and every building. These aggregators then need to be able to sell the value of energy efficiency into the energy market – something that may become possible under EMR – if the rules are written in the right way. http://www.onlyelevenpercent.com

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