Baker Homes and partners undertook a national study in 500 homes to test the effectiveness of practical ways to deliver information to domestic energy users to encourage them to save energy. The following is the third instalment of the second major report we published of our findings which focuses on understanding residents’ perceptions of energy and how they use energy in the home.
The study revealed that timer switches and A-rated appliances were commonly installed in the homes, with respectively 64% and 54% of the respondents stating that these items were installed before the National Energy Study began (Figure 1). A third of the respondents stated they have considered installing energy monitors, however another third were not aware of them. Seven percent of homes were already using one – some participating housing associations have contributed to this by running schemes where energy monitors were given to residents.
According to the responses, there is a significant opportunity to encourage people to turn appliances off (rather than leave in standby mode) and to wash clothes at 30 degrees. Over 20% of the respondents carried out these actions only a quarter of the time (Figure 2). Some of the respondents added written comments that they were unsure about the hygienic aspects of lower temperature washing, and that the lowest setting on their washing machine was 40 degrees.
When examined against the energy use of the respondents, it was found that those who carried out the listed behaviours all the time used 22% less electricity than those who did them only occasionally with the average daily electricity usage for these two groups being 8.95 kWh/day and 11.43 kWh/day respectively (Figure 3). The correlation between energy preserving behaviours and gas consumption was not analysed as the behaviours listed in the survey were based on electricity.
The survey revealed that the most trusted source of advice on energy saving were the housing associations who manage the property, followed by energy charities and friends/family (Figure 4). Energy providers and Government, while they were not the highest-trusted providers of such information, still had support of roughly a third of respondents. The least trusted sources were local builders, plumbers and electricians, and larger companies – possibly those who may be perceived as benefiting from decisions on home improvements.
Fifty-two percent of participants indicated that they had no difficulties with reading their meters (Figure 5). It should be noted that while some meters have clear, easy-to read displays, some digital meters have multiple displays, and dial meters can take a little practice. Therefore this question may say as much about the meters themselves as those trying to read them. Some were in hard-to-reach places such as the back of cupboards or behind appliances. Over 100 respondents said that they had no issues with reading their meters after reading the guidance provided.
