Household budgeting out the window when it comes to energy

(10^th October 2013)

Household budgeting out the window when it comes to energy, according to new survey.

Despite the fact that two thirds of Brits think they’re paying too much for their energy bills, a new survey shows that many of us are still carelessly wasting huge amounts of energy and heat from our homes.

Three quarters of the 2,040 UK adults questioned said they are frustrated by the year-on-year increase in energy costs, yet 13% admit they have the heating on when they are not in the house and the same number confess to opening windows when the heating is on. In fact, 16% say they keep a window open for ventilation all year round, 10% have the heating on so high they walk around the house in a t-shirt, and around one in twenty even keep the heating on all year round.

To combat the fact they are committing so many heating sins, the survey found that many Brits are resorting to more traditional methods to keep warm during the winter months rather than turning up the thermostat. Almost half (49%) of those surveyed use blankets in the lounge, 23% go to bed early in order to warm up, 27% wear extra layers, 51% have lined curtains and 40% shut all their internal doors when in the house.

The study by Anglian Home Improvements also shows a surprising lack of awareness about how much heat is being lost from our homes through inefficient windows and doors, with almost half of those surveyed wrongly thinking they lose less than 10%, while one in eight don’t believe their home loses any heat that way at all. In reality the figure is far more startling, with industry research showing that up to 30% of heat can be lost through poorly insulated windows and doors.

Melanie McDonald, Head of Marketing and Communications at Anglian Home Improvements, says, “The study reveals that energy prices remain a concern for most British homeowners, yet as a nation we are wasting energy in ways that could so easily be fixed. A few simple changes could not only make our homes more energy efficient but also save us money and reduce our carbon footprint. As we head into the colder months, now is the ideal time to think about ways to keep our homes and families warm throughout the winter.”

Anglian Home Improvements has launched a new window scrappage scheme to incentivise homeowners to improve the energy efficiency of their homes and get up to £3,000 off when they install energy saving windows. The promotion will run throughout October and November, giving homeowners a chance to upgrade their windows before the worst of the winter.

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