With heating accounting for 37% of UK #emissions, latest research from #clean #tech company #Vestemi has uncovered that over half of people surveyed had no idea their home #heating is contributing to the UK’s #carbon levels.
When asked how they felt about the fact heating was contributing to UK emissions, a staggering 75% said it made them feel helpless and unsure about how they could change this. However, when asked if they would put measures in place to help reduce emissions, 78% said they would and were keen to know more about what was available to them. A quarter of respondents said it made them want to take urgent action.
Jeremy Lock, CEO at Vestemi, said: ‘It is clear there is low awareness around the contribution heating is making to UK emissions, but the good news is that it is clear people are happy to make that change and keen to learn more about how they can play their part. It is now up to the energy industry as a whole to raise more awareness of the solutions that are available.’
Surprisingly, when asked if they were happy to turn their thermostat temperature down to 19C (an important driver to help reduce emissions), 82% said they would ‘absolutely’ do this, which could dispel the myth that people only want ‘hot’ homes. This sentiment was shared across all age groups surveyed.
When informed of the types of measures people can put in place within their homes, smart radiator thermostats and insulation were the most popular choice, followed by smart home heating solutions and boiler replacements. Although, for those respondents that were aware of the impact of heating on emissions, the majority had opted for improving insulation and boiler replacements, which can be costly.
Jeremy continued, ‘There are so many incremental and cost effective changes people can start making now, which can also help drive down expensive heating bills. Reducing emissions is not about complicated solutions that need a professional installer or programming, it is about making those small steps to great impact. If we all do a little, and now, we can achieve a lot more in a shorter timeframe and help reach that 2050 net zero goal.’
Vestemi’s flagship, product, #Radbot is an award winning smart TRV that heats rooms when occupied, reduces the temperature when empty and can save householders up to 30% on heating bills, around £180 per year for a typical semi-detached home.
Recently nominated as the Energy Efficiency Awards ‘Product of the Year’, Radbot can be used in any home that has radiator based heating, which is currently around 24 million homes in the UK.