Survey reveals Brits put comfort before the planet
According to a recent survey carried out on behalf of the air conditioning division of LG Electronics when it comes to heating our homes, we still tend to put our own comfort above the future of the planet.
Although 65% of those polled were concerned about the rising costs of energy bills, only 13% were troubled by environmental impact. A significant 22% were anxious about neither – only that they stayed comfortable.
The survey was commissioned by LG to measure awareness and understand market demand for new energy-saving technologies, such as heat pumps, and to assess current views around energy efficiency and sustainability.
It also showed that although the general public worries about rising fuel bills, 57% are more likely to put the thermostat up when feeling cold than find other ways of keeping warm such as exercising (6%), filling a hot water bottle (26%) or cuddling up to loved ones (35%). Yet, The Energy Saving Trust says that turning our thermostats down by 1 degree centigrade will cut heating bills by 10%.
Almost half of respondents (48%) said they were aware of either ground source or air-to water heat pump technology. Heat pumps take the heat either from the ground or the air and use it to heat radiators, underfloor heating systems and hot water. Some, such as LG’s Therma V air-to-water heat pump, can significantly reduce energy bills, as well as carbon emissions.
Encouragingly, a significant 76% said that they would be interested in a system that both heats and cools the home, suggesting that once the full potential of heat pumps becomes more well-known, increasing take-up will follow.
“Coming at a time when most of us are turning on our central heating again and thinking about how to keep our homes warm this coming winter, the survey results suggest that with rising energy bills, consumers are now becoming more aware of new heating and cooling solutions which are cheaper to run and which are also much more energy efficient,” says Sean Kim, Business Unit Marketing Manager, LG air conditioning division.
“This could well be because of a previous lack of suitable products but now, with the recent launch of LG’s Therma V, consumers can choose an air-to-water heat pump with co-efficients of performance (COPs) of up to 4.5; in other words among the most advanced on the market.”
The LG Heating Systems Survey was carried out by OnePoll, one of the world’s leading online market research company, questioning a sample of 2,000 consumers.