Over 75 per cent of Britons want to reduce their impacts on the environment, but are worried about the cost and confused about the technologies on offer.
The survey of 2,000 adults around the UK conducted by energy supplier
E.ON last November, found people are motivated nearly equally by money and environmental concerns when it comes to reducing their environmental impact. As many as 78 per cent said saving money would motivate them to be greener and 75 per cent said they wanted to reduce their environmental impact too.
However, while people want to do what they can to benefit the environment, a significant number (40 per cent) are concerned about the high costs of doing so. Over a quarter (27 per cent) said they don’t know enough about what they can do in order to reduce their impacts.
"Our homes are responsible for more than a quarter of the UK’s carbon emissions," said Marco Marijewycz, a microgeneration expert at E.ON. "It’s clear that people want to take more control over their energy – how they use it and how it’s made – but there’s confusion about the technologies and right ways to go about it."
The publication of the E.ON survey follows the findings of a recent survey conducted by the CBI, which revealed that three quarters of the public do not consider the
energy efficiency of a property when buying or renting a home.
What people can do
E.ON has broken down the best ways to reduce energy consumption at home and in the office into three categories: insulate, moderate and generate.
"We’re all aware of 'reduce, reuse, recycle’ but when it comes to the energy we consume perhaps we need to insulate our homes, moderate our use and even generate our own," Marijewycz said.
To insulate, E.ON suggests keeping the curtains shut once the sun goes down in order to prevent heat from escaping as well as insulating lofts with at least 270 millimetre wool.
To moderate, the company suggests using low energy light bulbs because the last 10 times longer and use 80 per cent less electricity. Leaving televisions, computers and chargers on stand-by mode continues to draw energy as well. Up to 10 per cent could be cut from fuel bills if the central heat were turned down 1°C.
The company also encourages investigating the Government’s
Feed-in Tariff scheme, which can make homeowners and businesses money by generating renewable energy.
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