Brits want cut in council tax and other financial incentives to go green

Half of all British consumers think it is too costly to make their homes eco-friendly, but a growing number are willing to ‘go green’ if they are offered financial incentives, according to the new ‘Eco-Homes’ survey from home insurer, MORE TH>N.

The vast majority of Britons require incentives to be put in place to make them go green, with many demanding financial inducements:

Eight out of ten would consider making environmental improvements to their homes if they could get a reduction in their council tax
A third (29 per cent) would if they could get lower mortgage rates
Six out of ten would if there was evidence that it would make their homes significantly cheaper to run.

Growing cases of extreme weather conditions and a greater political focus on green issues have made British homeowners more concerned about environmental issues in the last 12 months. The knock-on effect of this is that a quarter (28 per cent) of all households claim to have made environmental improvements to their homes and over half (55 per cent) believe they already have an ‘eco-friendly’ house. Yet many households have only taken small steps so far.

For example, nine out of ten have got double-glazing installed; 84 per cent recycle; three-quarters use energy-efficient light bulbs and four out of ten have a compost heap. Only 2 per cent of all households use renewable energy, 1 per cent has solar thermal hot water systems in place and 5 per cent use natural materials in the building and decoration of their homes.

Mike Holliday-Williams, managing director of MORE TH> N, commented on the findings: “Our homes account for 27 per cent of all carbon emissions and they consume three times more energy than the use of private cars. It’s therefore time that we took note and acknowledged that we all have a part to play in helping the environment.”

“Many people assume that it will cost them money to become more energy efficient at home but in reality there are many simple things that anyone can do today that won’t cost them anything.”

MORE TH>N ‘s top five energy saving tips are:

Turning your thermostat down by 1oC could cut your heating bills by up to 10 per cent and save you around £40 a year
Don’t leave TVs, videos or DVD players on standby and remember not to leave your mobile phone charger plugged in whilst not in use.
If you don’t completely fill up your washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher, use the half load or economy setting
Only boil as much water as you need, but remember to always cover the elements in an electric kettle
Replace your lightbulbs with energy saving ones.

Jon McGowan, head of consumer marketing at the Energy Saving Trust, said “This new research is once again telling us that there is real appetite to embrace energy saving in the home. We believe there needs to be a balance between the Government offering incentives to enable consumers to turn these good intentions into action, but consumers also need to take responsibility and take individual steps to save energy in their own homes. Things like leaving the TV on standby, having inadequate insulation or using the car for short journeys all waste energy and result in needless carbon dioxide emissions, but if we all commit to save 20 per cent of the energy we use everyday, together we can help prevent climate change.”

It also appears that consumers think the Government and businesses could do more to raise the profile of the issue: 45 per cent of homeowners believe that it is the Government’s role to educate consumers on how they can take individual responsibility towards the environment and two thirds of consumers think large organisations such as insurers should take climate change into account in their business.

Last week MORE TH>N together with its parent company Royal & SunAlliance, announced that it is the first insurer to be carbon neutral in the UK. The company has cut its carbon footprint by half since 2000 and has offset the remainder by purchasing voluntary carbon reductions through The CarbonNeutral Company.

Mike Holliday-Williams continues: “We believe that the Government and businesses have an important role to play in encouraging people to go green. Last week we were the first insurer to go carbon neutral in the UK. But we also believe it is up to individual consumers to take responsibility and action in their own homes to make a difference. If we all begin to make small improvements in our houses, then we can start to make a difference to the current environmental problems that we are facing.”