Tuesday 31 May 2016

Green energy a luxury? One in four Brits think so

One in four people in the UK still see renewable energy as a luxury.

That’s according to a new survey of more than 2,000 people, which found around 23% feel green energy “isn’t something we should be all supporting more” while a small minority (5%) believe renewable energy is “pointless”.

However a majority of people (71%) said renewable energy should be supported more, with the figure rising to 81% among 18-24 year olds.

The YouGov survey commissioned by independent supplier Bulb also revealed less than 1% of people currently choose to get their energy from 100% renewable suppliers even though 71% of those questioned said they would switch to green power if it was cheaper than their existing tariff.

It found 20% of people spend “no time at all” thinking about energy in a year and almost a quarter (24%) have only switched once in the last five years.

The news comes as research found Big Six customers are paying up to £400 more per year for their gas and electricity. Ofgem also revealed around two thirds of householders could save up to £325 by switching energy tariffs.

Hayden Wood, Founder of Bulb, which claims to be around 20% cheaper than the average Big Six tariff, said: “The energy industry has failed consumers but it doesn’t have to be this way. Now you can now save the planet and your wallet at the same time.

“There is strong support for renewables but some people still think of green energy as a ‘luxury’ and they don’t trust their energy suppliers to provide high quality reliable service. You can now get completely price competitive renewable energy and not sacrifice customer service. This means there’s no longer any downside whatsoever to going green.”