Homeowners avoid going green because it is ‘hassle’

UK householders aren’t going green because they see it as a “hassle”. According to a new report commissioned by the Energy Savings Trust, more than 60 per cent of UK […]

UK householders aren’t going green because they see it as a “hassle”.

According to a new report commissioned by the Energy Savings Trust, more than 60 per cent of UK householders say that hassle and lack of knowledge are the main reasons for failing to use energy saving measures.

But authors of the report suggest that at certain “trigger points” people could be persuaded to make the extra effort, with nearly nine in ten (85 per cent) saying they were willing to stretch their home improvement budgets to save energy.

The “trigger points” are times when householders are most interested in installing insulation and other energy saving measures, because they’re already planning refurbishment work on their home.

David Weatherall, strategy manager for housing at the Energy Saving Trust said: “Few people have the time, money or even confidence to take on a full eco-refurbishment, but our research clearly shows there’s a massive opportunity to tap the potential of step-by-step energy efficiency changes alongside other refurbishment projects. It’s essentially a case of ‘when we’ve got someone in, we might as well do a bit of green stuff.'”

The report, called ‘Trigger points: a convenient truth’, found that 22 per cent – four million – of UK households are planning or anticipating a major refurbishment project within the next three years.

There is huge potential for these homeowners to be persuaded, and Energy Secretary Chris Huhne recently said the government’s Green Deal will target householders at these trigger points.

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