Energy-saving attitudes unchanged by green deal and price rises

This year's poll in regards to green energy and saving among UK homeowners found the response being the same as that of the 2012 poll. This is despite the green deal roll-out introduced by the Government to help homeowners understand how they can save money through using a variety of green energy efficient saving methods following a widespread concern over increasing energy bills.

Poll Findings on the Green Deal

The findings of the poll indicated that 28% of people questioned, were very much considering implementing changes in order to save energy in their home. The findings were the same as back in 2012.

Additionally, the poll found that a staggering 84% of those questioned are very alarmed in regards to the abrupt rises in energy prices for the future. The pole also revealed that nearly half of the UK's population are currently worried about paying their bills in the short term.

"These figures show the gravity of the government's failure to develop a functioning energy efficiency policy," said Reg Platt, senior research fellow at the IPPR thinktank. "The flagship green deal policy has done nothing to improve peoples' awareness of the steps they can take to insulate themselves from the rising cost of energy. Energy efficiency provides more immediate and long-term benefits for energy affordability than any other solution."

Ministers claimed that the green deal scheme would be able to improve energy efficiency for approximately 14 million homes by the year 2020, which in turn could cut energy bills significantly; meaning households would pay less on their bills. However, the worrying element of the green energy scheme is that ever since its launch, January 2013, there has been a mere 57 green deals that have been completed. In which case, there needs to be a much higher demand for the scheme to make a significant impact on both the environment and energy usage.

The poll that was conducted was followed by the pledge made to freeze energy bills from 2015, by Ed Miliband, the Labour leader. In addition, the poll was carried out prior to the latest announcement in regards to greater-than inflation energy price rises. Moreover, the 'big six' energy companies all increased their energy prices last winter, which caused many to go without sufficient heating in their home.


What did the Government do in response to increased energy bills?

David Cameron and Ed Davey, the energy secretary insist on customers switch energy supplier in order to cut their energy bills but, recent poll demonstrated that the number of homeowners stating considering changing supplier over the next 12 months is unmoved; still only one in three will consider doing so.

This is what Andrew Warren the director of the Association for the Conservation of Energy said in a statement that:

"Clearly the best way of responding to the big six's greed is to minimise the need for their product. It is genuinely worrying how unaware too many households are of the enormous opportunities that exist to save money on their fuel bills, not by doing without, but by ensuring their home isn't burning energy inefficiently. It amazes me how this dimension is being ignored during the current furore about price hikes."

Why the Above-Inflation Price Hike?

The current debate surrounding an increase in energy bills that face homeowners has been heavily focused on the green levies paid by customers whether they like it or not. The ECO scheme subsidises energy efficiency measures for those in living in fuel poverty and "hard to treat" homes, such as those without cavity walls.

Peter Smith, at fuel poverty campaign group National Energy Action, said: "Even at a conservative estimate cold homes kill more people each year than die from road traffic accidents. We urgently need the government to set out exactly how they intend to support a much more ambitious national energy efficiency scheme which should aim to end the misery of cold homes once and for all. Increasing levels of energy efficiency in our poorest homes is a sound, cost-effective and worthwhile investment."

About the Author
Jeremy, the author of this article provides expert advice to people in the UK in regards to both asbestos removal and energy saving management.