Industry ‘must change the way energy efficiency is promoted’

The Energy Saving Trust is calling for a “radical shift” in how industry sells the benefits of energy efficiency for the home after a survey of over 2,000 UK respondents showed nearly half of householders (44 per cent) claim to live in homes with draught problems.

The EST survey, the first of a series of public opinion trackers known as the UK Pulse, also revealed that 38 per cent of people live in homes with condensation problems and 29 per cent in homes with mould. All three issues were higher among renters.

Owners living in draughty homes were shown to be the most likely to take remedial action, with nearly a quarter (24 per cent) planning to install energy efficiency upgrades in the next year, compared with 12 per cent of homeowners overall.

Renewables, such as solar panels, were considered to be the “ideal” energy efficiency improvement if money and hassle were no object, with most respondents putting this ahead of wall and loft insulation and draught excluders, despite often living in homes with draught problems.

The survey also revealed that a majority of home buyers and renters (59 per cent) were more likely to rent or buy a property with a renewable energy system such as a solar panel or heat pump.

David Weatherall, energy efficiency expert, Energy Saving Trust, said: “We need to move away from big messages for broad audiences to information that is tailored to people’s individual motivations, their lifestyle and their home. We can no longer get away with a ‘one size fits all’ energy efficiency message for UK consumers.

“People’s motivations for changing behaviour, or choosing how and where to invest money in energy efficiency, are diverse across genders, age groups and UK regions, as well as being heavily influenced by the type of property people own or rent.

“In the next stage of the evolution of our homes we need householders to engage with their energy use in a new, deeper way that focus on the importance on comfort and control, as well as the cost benefits of energy efficiency.”

Through the UK Pulse research the Energy Saving Trust has identified several new opportunities for encouraging energy efficiency in the home:

• promoting comprehensive insulation solutions for all homes: this will inevitably entail higher costs than the lower-hassle actions that have been achieved so far;

• encouraging rapid uptake of new energy-saving technologies as they emerge, for example LED lighting;

• continuing to bring home renewable energy into the mainstream so householders with suitable homes understand the benefits of the installation; and

• transforming householders’ ability to monitor and understand their energy use – thereby reducing their energy waste.

The Energy Saving Trust offers homeowners an online tool, Home Energy Check, that lets homeowners find out about which energy-saving and renewable generating systems suit their homes: www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Organisations/Green-Deal/Home-Energy-Check-online-tool