Brits lose out on £6bn because they’re homes are not energy efficient

Tuesday 14th February 2012

Over 11 million households (43%) are missing out on savings of up to £530 a year by not being energy efficient, according to new research by independent price comparison and switching service, uSwitch.com.

This means that collectively Brits are paying almost £6 billion a year more on energy than they actually need to, mainly because they don't understand the value of energy efficiency, says uSwitch.com.

While rising energy prices and increases to other household bills have made over a quarter of consumers (26%) more likely to make their homes more energy efficient, 42% have been put off by the expense and almost a fifth (17%) are unconvinced that energy efficiency measures offer value for money.

uSwitch.com says Brits daunted by measures such as insulation daunting, energy saving gadgets, such as energy monitors and radiator boosters could help. Almost a fifth (17%) of those who have implemented energy efficiency measures have invested in energy saving gadgets to help combat rising bills.

"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,” said Kevin Sears, energy efficiency expert at uSwitch.com.

“By spending just £25 on energy efficiency measures such as a radiator booster, households could cut their bills by up to £140.

"Energy efficiency can be as simple as turning things off when they are not in use or using a standby saver, while using gadgets such as energy monitors or radiator boosters could save you up to almost £200 a year."

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