An online survey conducted by The Eco Experts revealed some interesting data about the relationship between the Britons and solar energy. There you go some facts!
Rising Energy Prices – Everyone’s problem
The survey reveals even the richest households in the UK are worried about the rising energy prices. Around 2/3rds of the surveyed say a sudden 30% increase in their energy bills couldn’t be afforded, and even among households earning more than £75,000 a year, 1/3rd claim they could not afford the increase.
Solar Panels – Enough information out there?
Despite their interest in stop the increase or even in reduce their electricity bills, the great majority of the surveyed aren’t sure or don’t know how much a solar panels installation cost. Only 1/3 correctly identified the price of a typical home solar installation – between £4,000 and £8,000, depending on the size -.
Also, the biggest reason why people haven’t yet installed solar panels is related with cost. However, people seem to be aware of loans and Government programs such the Feed-in Tariff. Even with prices dropping down more and more every day, solar energy is still seen as a too expensive alternative to generate electricity. On the flip side, a strong majority of people would at least consider installing solar panels with no upfront cost, with only 18.1% rejecting them outright.
The Green Deal – What’s that?
When questioned about the Green Deal, people seemed to have no idea about this new Government programme starting in October 2012, that aims to reduce UK homes carbon footprint by helping people to carry out home improvements through loans given by private organisations. Only 13.7% of people that would definitely consider improving their home’s energy efficiency are aware of it.
If we take these results, and compare them with a recent survey about solar energy carried out by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, differences are huge. With almost the same number of surveyed – 2,121 people in DECC’s and 1,994 in The Eco Experts’s -, the first one show quite positive results, against the second one that demonstrates solar energy is still unknown and little supported by the great majority of the British population.
Having in mind the imminent need to start generating energy in a clean way to stop climate change and carbon emissions, shouldn’t we, and above all, the Government, be worried about this? Is knowledge and support to renewables, especially solar energy, enough among the UK residents?
Related Links
Solar Power Facts – The Eco Experts Survey
Solar Energy – The Most Popular in The UK
