Industry News

Quarter of households likely to green their homes as living costs rise

Rising living costs such as higher energy bills are causing one-quarter of UK households to consider making their homes more energy efficient, according to a uSwitch.com survey.

It found that one-fifth of people taking their first steps towards energy efficiency have bought energy saving products like radiator boosters and energy monitors.

However, one in ten households are still undecided on the benefits of energy efficiency, with 42 per cent put off by the expense of making green home improvements.

This could change once the Green Deal is launched later in the year, which will fund the up-front cost of energy efficiency measures like insulation.

Kevin Sears, energy efficiency expert at the comparison website, stressed that energy efficiency can be "as simple as turning things off when they are not in use", although he added that bigger investments like insulation offers better returns.

Other survey findings revealed that 43 per cent of UK households are missing out on annual savings of up to £530 (as calculated by USwitch) by not being energy efficient.

"With winter starting to bite, and recent energy price cuts not going far enough, becoming more energy efficient may be the lifeline cash-strapped consumers need," Mr Sears said.

Posted by Mark Stephens

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