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Technologies such as solar panels or heat pumps are unaffordable to over a third of Britons, putting the UK’s net zero efforts in jeopardy, a study has found.
According to a Nottingham Trent University (NTU) study, a further 28 per cent say they don’t have enough information to make such a significant financial investment.
While 85 per cent of the respondents said they believed that human activity is the cause of global warming, nearly half said electricity bills were a financial burden.
Consumers faced record high energy bills in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war last year, and while the government provided some financial support, this ceased in April.
In October, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) also said that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision to relax the UK’s net zero ambitions will lead to further increases in energy bills.
The NTU data, which was taken from a survey of 620 adults of all ages across the UK, found that 86 per cent believe that renewable energy can save the environment from a climate catastrophe.
NTU’s Professor Amin Al-Habaibeh said: “These results are significant as they indicate that financial constraints and a lack of information are the main issues preventing people from taking the action that’s required to tackle climate change.”
“To encourage the adoption of renewable energy, the cost must be subsidised to a greater degree, or addressed via affordable means, to enable consumers to engage with the clean technologies that are needed to reduce CO2 levels.
“Without a financial intervention of some sort, it’s difficult to see how households across the country on moderate means will be able to make the switch to the renewable energy sources, which are so vital for the future of the planet.”
In September, the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) unveiled a £1bn insulation scheme for poorer families in a bid to improve energy efficiency in the UK’s infamously draughty homes.
This followed the Green Homes Grant Voucher Scheme, which was implemented as part of the response to the Covid-19 crisis in 2020. However, this was labelled a “slam dunk fail” by MPs after it only saw upgrades to 47,500 of the 600,000 homes originally envisaged.
Researcher Dr Benjamin Nweke, who worked on the survey as part of his PhD, said: “The findings from this study have shown that consumers in the UK are aware of the impact their activities have on the environment and that they’re keen to take the necessary steps to achieve net zero.
“To improve the acceptance of renewables to consumers in the UK, better education and improved financial schemes must be made available to help subsidise the cost of renewable energy for everyday working people, so that they can afford to make this important change to their living arrangements.”
