Poll: 80 percent of Brits have altered home to slash energy consumption

The charity Age UK, has published the results of a survey that undertook analysis of the UK's energy usage trends over the last 60 years.

The results show that saving energy has consistently been an aim for the British since the 1950s. Back then, almost nine out of ten people (88 percent) indicated that they took steps to reduce their energy usages. The most popular energy saving practices employed in the 50s were, switching off lights when leaving a room (75 percent) and using draft excluders (72 percent).

Nowadays, energy saving practices have increased as a combination of rising energy costs and environmental concerns have led to greater awareness. Over 80 percent of respondents have made changes to their property to cut their energy consumption; 75 percent have installed double glazing, 60 percent installed roof insulation and 38 percent upgraded appliances for more efficient alternatives.      

However, despite the country's keenness to save energy, only 42 percent of respondents monitored their energy consumption. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) is currently working on an ambitious national roll-out of smart meters that will see every property fitted with one by 2019.  

Gordon Morris, Managing Director of Age UK Enterprises, said: “As energy efficient technologies such as roof insulation have become cheaper and more easily accessible, many people have made changes to their homes to significantly reduce their energy consumption. It’s great to see that nearly everyone is trying to conserve resources. But despite all the progress made in recent years, there are still around 3.3 million older people in fuel poverty. This is why we’re committed to supporting consumers to better understand their energy requirements, and to help them reduce their energy usage even further.”

Source: Age UK Enterprises

Anthony Ainsworth from E.ON commented: “With the introduction of central heating and the advent of new technology, there has been a massive shift in how we use energy in the home over the past 60 years. It is why we do all we can to provide the products and services to help our customers get energy fit and stay in control of their energy consumption easily and cost-effectively.”

Recent data published by DECC shows that over half of all Britons are concerned about steep rises in energy bills, a concern that should see the public increasingly turn to energy saving measures to protect themselves.