Note: the results from this survey are now out of date. To get the latest data, head to our National Home Energy Survey 2023.
Energy prices have exploded over the past year, leaving a lot of UK households with inflated gas and electric bills. To investigate how this has impacted the British public, The Eco Experts has carried out its first National Home Energy Survey, which was published on 7th April 2022.
The survey included answers from 1,150 people aged 21-80, located across the UK – covering topical questions about rising energy bills, concern about climate change, and low-carbon technology.
Why did we do this? Our primary reason was to develop a deeper understanding of the UK’s attitudes to renewable energy – not just amongst homeowners, but anybody living in a property. We also wanted to get an understanding of which types of low-carbon tech people are actually aware of, and how this differs across age groups.
Want to take a peek at the results? We’ve pulled our key findings from the study to make it easier for you.
Note: the results from this survey are now out of date. To get the latest data, head to our National Home Energy Survey 2023.
Our key findings
If you want to check out the survey results for yourself, you can find the analysis in our National Home Energy Survey report.
60% of UK residents want to go greener
Our National Home Energy Survey found that 60% of people want to go greener in light of the rising energy bills. We also worked out that if 60% of UK properties made the switch to renewable heating, they could save 35,130,000 tonnes of CO2 each year – that’s 9% of all UK emissions.
Predictably, there were key generational differences in the study. The survey found that people aged 21-24 (“Gen Z”) were 42% more likely to choose renewable alternatives than people aged 57-75 (“boomers”).
Check out the full story here.
High costs are stopping UK residents from going green
Despite showing interest in green appliances, our survey found that 34% of people weren’t willing to buy low-carbon technology. Why? It mainly comes down to money.
In fact, 69% of people ranked cost as the most important factor when evaluating which low-carbon product to purchase.
But when asked what they would do if money were no object, 91% of people said they would want to get at least one major piece of green technology.
Check out the full story here.
UK residents plan to cut back on holidays and going out due to rising energy bills
Our survey found 63% of respondents are planning to cut back on nights out to save money, with 48% also reducing the number of holidays they go on. In contrast, 16% of people plan to continue as normal amid the energy crisis.
Unfortunately, hospitality and tourism are two industries that have already suffered from COVID-19 lockdowns, and are likely to take another hit in the next year.
There is also a much higher percentage of boomers who are planning to carry on as normal amid the energy crisis, compared to millennials.
Check out the full story here.
62% of UK residents want the government to replace gas with green power
62% of UK residents said that they want the government to invest in green energy to reduce our reliance on gas, including Russian gas.
When given a choice of alternative energy sources, 31% of people said they’d choose wind, followed by 23% choosing solar power, and another 8% picking hydroelectric power.
In contrast, just 15% of respondents thought the government should choose gas or oil when diversifying its energy mix.
Check out the full story here.
Nearly 20% of UK residents think energy efficiency is “vital” when moving house
Having a home with high energy efficiency ratings can save homeowners a lot of money – and yet, only 17% of respondents saw energy efficiency as “vital” when thinking about buying a home.
Whilst over 50% of respondents stated that energy efficiency plays a big part in the home buying process, 42% of respondents said they’d take a property’s energy efficiency “into consideration, but it wouldn’t be a deciding factor”.
This was pretty surprising, considering we’re in the middle of an energy crisis.
Check out the full story here.
One quarter of UK residents are “very likely” to buy a property with solar panels on the roof
Homes with already-installed solar panels can be controversial – while some people see them as a great way to generate clean energy, others think they ruin the aesthetics.
In our survey, a total of 65% of respondents said they’d be either “very likely” or “likely” to purchase a property with solar panels.
Unsurprisingly, people aged 21–24 (“Gen Z”) had the highest overall percentage of “very likely” responses. In contrast, people aged 26–41 (“millennials”) came second to last on “very likely” voters – something many probably wouldn’t expect.
Check out the full story here.
Summary
Unfortunately, the next year is set to be a tough time for UK homeowners and renters alike. Not only have energy bills increased this year, but they’re also predicted to rise again in October. As it stands, experts are estimating that prices could go up by another 50%, but nothing is set in stone yet.
Low-carbon tech can help people avoid these expensive bills, but there are certain barriers stopping people from investing in it. This is why we set out to investigate public opinion on low-carbon appliances, as well as rising energy bills.
Moving forward, The Eco Experts will produce a National Home Energy Survey each year. Collecting this data will be particularly useful to see whether people’s opinions on low-carbon technology change over the course of the energy crisis.
To get the full data for the survey, please email charlie.clissitt@theecoexperts.co.uk.
