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Find out what some Brits are doing to save energy and money
Brits are far more likely than their European counterparts to share a bath or cuddle up in bed in an effort to save energy and money, according to new research launched today (Monday 20 October) to mark the beginning of Energy Saving Week (20-26 October).
A survey of 6,000 adults across five European countries has found that a third of Brits (35 per cent) would now share a bath or shower to save money on their electricity or gas bill compared to just eight per cent of Swedes.
And while 36 per cent of Brits would cuddle up in bed to keep warm only around a quarter of Spaniards (23 per cent) and 28 per cent of French would do the same.
The Green/Life Balance research was commissioned by the Energy Saving Trust – the UK's leading organisation set up to help people fight climate change – and undertaken by ICM Research. Two thousand people throughout the UK and 1,000 each across France, Spain, Sweden, and Germany took part in the most comprehensive survey ever undertaken into different European countries' attitudes towards finding time to be green.
According to the research, while Brits' desire to save money is motivating them to take energy saving measures, pressure on their time is stopping them going further to save energy and find a "green/life balance":
- Half of Brits (50 per cent) quizzed, say that they would take more steps to cut their CO2 emissions if only they had more time.
- Brits are spending around 170 million hours each year waiting on hold on the telephone, and more than 210 million hours stuck in traffic!
- Six in 10 (62 per cent) UK residents spend more than 10 minutes a week standing in queues.
- Almost half (48 per cent) Brits waste more than 10 minutes a week waiting for the kettle to boil.
And in Europe:
- Almost half (46 per cent) of Spaniards spend 10 minutes a week or more taking siestas.
- Twenty-one per cent of Frenchmen and women spend more than 10 minutes a week waiting for their food to arrive in a restaurant.
- Eight in 10 (80%) Germans spend at least 10 minutes every week organising their desks.
Energy Saving Trust chief executive Philip Sellwood is calling for Brits to take just 10 minutes during Energy Saving Week to do something green. He said: "It's clear from our research that people in the UK and across Europe want to be green if only they had time...work and family responsibilities just keep getting in the way.
"Energy Saving Week is the perfect opportunity to discover your green/life balance – however much time you do or don't have. We're urging people to take just 10 minutes to make time to change their households' habits to help fight climate change. It doesn't take long to get things started – there are lots of things you can do in just 10 minutes."
One of the UK's leading financial psychology experts Benjamin Fry is working with the Energy Saving Trust to show consumers how saving energy can save money too.
He commented: "This research shows that saving energy and money at the same time need not be dull. Judging by how it is turning the temperature up on Britons' love lives, with so many of us taking romantic energy saving measures to beat the credit crunch, doing your bit to help climate change has suddenly become a lot more attractive.
"According to the Energy Saving Trust, the average household can save around £340 a year by being more energy-efficient and with the credit crunch unlikely to ease any time soon, there has never been a better time to start finding positive motivations for living a greener life."
Energy Saving Week – now in its twelfth year – is designed to promote energy saving action among householders through a concentrated programme of events across the UK, via a range of partner organisations and the Energy Saving Trust's network of regional advice centres.
Other survey findings include:
- Brits are now more likely (68 per cent) than their European counterparts (European average of 55 per cent) to reuse leftover food in a bid to save money.
- UK residents, Spaniards, and French all perceive the Swedes to be by far the most successful of 11 named European countries at cutting their CO2 emissions. However, Germany ranked themselves at the top of the list, with 35 per cent of Germans believing they are the most successful country, 19 per cent voting for the Swedes and only two per cent of Germans voting for France.
- Six in 10 (63 per cent) Brits would be encouraged to live a greener lifestyle if the UK Government offered green tax credits.
- A quarter of Brits (27 per cent) – the highest in European countries surveyed – are in favour of a green bank holiday for people to take specific steps to be green.
- Eighty-five per cent of Brits would be encouraged to go green if community initiatives such as grants were provided to help implement energy saving measures in the home.
- More than a fifth of working Brits (22 per cent) would like to see their employers help them to achieve a "greener lifestyle" by offering 'green benefits' such as loans for energy-efficient products or free visits from an energy doctor and 14 per cent would like to see their employers giving them time off to reduce their CO2 emissions.
- Almost half of Brits (47 per cent) still leave the TV on standby before they go to bed. This collectively wastes £80,000 a year – equivalent to the annual electricity bills of nearly 150 families – and generates as much carbon dioxide as is produced by driving 900,000 miles in the average UK car.
To find out more about what can be done – whether in 10 minutes or a whole weekend – during Energy Saving Week, householders should call their local Energy Saving Trust advice centre on 0800 512012 for free impartial advice
