British worry more about energy bills than mortgage

British homeowners are more worried about rising energy bills than anything else, an international survey research by Europe's largest DIY retail group, Kingfisher.

Some 64 per cent of people said rising energy costs were their number one worry about the home – more than triple the number most concerned with keeping up with their mortgage or rent (18.8 per cent).

It's a similar story across Europe, where homeowners are twice as worried about how much they pay for gas and electricity (65 per cent) as they are about keeping up with their mortgage or rent (23 per cent).

As a result, homeowners are becoming more proactive about improving the energy efficiency of their homes. Indeed, across Europe people are eight times more likely to prioritise energy efficient changes, with 31 per cent intending to update their home's energy efficiency, compared to just 4 per cent in 2012.

Sir Ian Cheshire (right), group chief executive of Kingfisher, said: "Rising energy prices are a very real fear – right across Europe, a bigger concern even than worries about paying the rent or mortgage.

"There is a staggering increase in the number of people who intend to prioritise energy efficiency and it is soaring bills that is driving this agenda."