Cost is key for energy efficiency - study

Monday 05 June 2006

More than a third of Europeans rate the cost implications of becoming more energy efficient higher than their environmental concerns, according to the new research on energy consumption attitudes from LogicaCMG. While a massive 80% of respondents claimed that they were worried about climate change, 36% admitted that the expense was a key factor against doing more to prevent energy overuse. In addition to this, the investigation found that if energy prices rise, less than half of those surveyed (44%) would continue to use energy at the current rate.

Consumer awareness over the amount of energy used by everyday appliances such as televisions proved to be low, with 52% saying that they had ‘little concept’ of costs and usage levels. With this in mind, the idea of an awareness-raising campaign, or a technological aid to demonstrate the energy being used, was well-received.

"The results of our survey are clear: households want to be more energy efficient but at no significant expense. Essentially, the environment matters, but cost matters more,” said Jim Tapper, Managing Director of LogicaCMG's international energy and utilities business. “Europeans say that they would like to be equipped with clear information and the technology to enable them to support the fight against climate change and conserving energy. This international study shows that if people would have more visibility of the amount of energy they were consuming, they would do more to save energy. Governments and other stakeholders need to further educate the population, in particular the younger generation about clever energy consumption, and provide the infrastructure in order to make smart metering in every home a reality.”

The study involved 5010 people in the UK, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal.

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