Electricians need to play a bigger part in Energy Efficiency

Despite public campaigns via energy companies and the government, many homes in the UK are still without energy saving features in their home.

In a recent survey carried out by the Rexel Foundation and Opinion Way, 9 out of 10 respondents to the survey believe that fuel poverty will continue to rise in the UK due to lack the of energy efficiency being adapted within homes.

Of the survey respondents who cited concern about fuel poverty, 68% had some type of energy saving features within their homes already. Giving their reasons why they had chosen to become more energy efficient, 4 out of 5 said it was to save money on their energy bills, with only 27% of respondents doing so because of environmental concern.

This means that almost 32% of homes surveyed who have concerns about fuel poverty do not have any form of energy efficiency measures within their home. The main reason given for not participating in energy saving was purely financial - from lack of disposable income, to the cost of installation. People living in rented accommodation feel that installing energy saving measures wouldn't be worth their while (24%) with a further 21% feeling overwhelmed by the choice of energy measures available to house holders.

The results of this survey comes as no surprise to electricians with a staggering 91% of electricians agreeing fully with the answers given by the respondents and echoing the need for more financing options for energy efficiency products and certainly here at Fulcher Edwards we advise our customers on a daily basis about how to save money and energy in their homes. Ultimately our customers are looking at the bottom line and we have seen in recent times that there is increasing reluctance to spend money where it is not deemed necessary.

Brian Smithers, strategic development director for Rexel Northern European Zone, commented: “It’s worrying to hear that cost concerns are still putting consumers off investing in energy efficiency measures especially in view of the launch of incentives such as the Green Deal, which allows home owners to access funding for energy efficiency at no upfront cost. However, this survey makes it clear that there is little awareness of the options available.
“While the government and the energy companies have an important role to play here, it’s crucial that the UK’s army of trusted electricians are able to educate their customers about the support available. Soft skills are as valuable here as technical ones; the future of energy efficiency in the UK depends on the ability to better communicate financial incentives, ROI and long term cost savings. Rexel is committed to providing the tools and know how needed to help electricians drive greater adoption of energy efficiency through training and by raising awareness and understanding of the most effective energy efficient technologies and products available.”

New research published yesterday by the Department of Energy and Climate change (DECC) states that properties which are making use of energy efficiency measures could see the value of the property increase by an average of 14%. With 46% of properties in the UK only achieving an EPC Band D in energy efficiency, it shows that there is still much work to be done with regards to energy efficiency. An average UK property which moves up 2 bands i.e. from a G to an E or from a D to B could see up to £16,000 added to the value of their property.

With this knowledge in mind and the advantages given through the Green Deal incentive, home owners can start to make these much needed changes, decrease their energy bills and add value to their home.