A new campaign fronted by double Olympic champion Rebecca Adlington has launched, highlighting the £650m of ‘invisible’ waste that we as a nation could save by upgrading our outdated energy system.
A survey of 4,000 adults, undertaken by Smart Energy GB, reveals that almost a quarter (24 per cent) of Brits are unaware of where energy gets wasted in the energy system and four in ten (40 per cent) think that being energy efficient is only about the individual steps we take in our homes.
Government has said that the estimated £650m worth of energy that will be saved is due to a reduction in energy losses through a variety of means. These savings come from a smart energy system, underpinned by smart meters, that will help with:
- Reducing energy consumption by consumers
- Reducing faults in the network
- Better planning for and management of energy use
- More efficient integration of renewable sources when they are more plentiful
Despite the millions of pounds wasted by our inefficient energy system, the research reveals that plastic is the number one waste concern for the nation (71 per cent), with just 36 per cent recognising the importance of energy waste. It also reveals more than half of Brits (52 per cent) would be more inclined to try to reduce the energy they use if they could see it being wasted.
Smart meters feed back information to suppliers, which allows energy companies to plan how much energy to produce and when, and to make use of renewable energy sources more effectively. This improves energy efficiency by helping to reduce the amount of energy that goes to waste and reduces our carbon footprint by lessening our reliance on harmful fossil fuels. As more people get smart meters our smart energy system will grow, which will allow us to continue improving our energy efficiency.
The research also revealed:
- 77 per cent of Brits think they are ‘doing their bit’ at home to waste less energy/reduce energy waste
- Reducing the temperature of washing machines, turning the heating down and getting a smart meter installed are among the ways Brits are trying to reduce their energy consumption
- The biggest reason for reducing waste was for environmental reasons (75 per cent)
- When asked who in society has the biggest responsibility for reducing waste, two-thirds (63 per cent) agreed that this responsibility lies with everyone
